25 Days of BeChloe Christmases - 2017
by BeChloeIsLegit
Summary: Christmas one-shots of my favorite pair of Barden Bellas. Hoping to have a new one-shot up every day from December 1-25, 2017. Full of fun, fluff, and love (a little angst but nothing too heavy). Rate M mostly for language.
1. A Barden Christmas Carol

It was a week before Christmas and Beca had stopped by Chloe's room before she left for her shift at the campus radio station. She hated Christmas but Chloe loved it so she wanted to give Chloe her gift before she left for Tampa. Well, truth be told she didn't want to give her anything. Chloe had threatened her with her pout and puppy dog eyes if she didn't stop by to pick up the gift Chloe got for her, so she decided to reciprocate and got Chloe something. The Bella House was unusually quiet as everyone was either studying or sleeping. Standing in the middle of Chloe's room, Beca handed Chloe the gift she got for her. It was wrapped in plain brown paper. Chloe squealed and Beca stopped Chloe when it looked like she was going to open it.

"What?" Chloe asked.

"Aren't you supposed to, like, wait until Christmas or some shit to open it?," Beca asked.

"But, Christmas is a week away," Chloe whined.

"I'm well aware," Beca said frowning.

"Don't you want to see me open it?," Chloe says with a pout.

"Chloe," Beca said. "I really don't care. You're the one running around talking about Christmas traditions being so great and everything. You told me that you always take all your presents home with you so you can open then on Christmas morning."

"Fine," Chloe says with a huff. "I won't open it now."

Chloe suddenly gives Beca a smile and grabs something from under her bed.

"But that just means you can't open this until Christmas either," Chloe tells Beca with a smirk as she hands her the gift.

"Okay," Beca says and just stands there holding the gift like she was holding a bomb.

"Becaaa!," Chloe whines again. "I want to see you open it."

"Chloeee!," Beca mocks. "I appreciate the thought but you're lucky I'm even taking it. You know how I feel about all this. I just want to be left alone until it's all over."

"I hate that you're going to be alone again this year," Chloe said rubbing Beca's arm. "I wish you'd come home with me for Christmas. My family would love to have you."

"I'll be fine, Chloe," Beca said. "My last final was today and after my shift at the station I'll be going to my grandma's house to stay until this is all over. I'm just going to hang out in my old room and make some new mixes. Alone. I can pretend Christmas isn't happening. Which is the way I like it."

"Come on, Beca," Chloe begged. "It's not too late to change your mind. Come to Tampa with me. Aubrey will be there."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Beca said. "I'm not third wheeling it with you and Posen."

"You make it sound like we're a couple or something," Chloe said with a laugh. "Aubrey is my best friend and so are you. You wouldn't be third wheeling anything."

"I love you, Chlo, I really do," Beca said. "But, I need this time for myself. You know I don't do Christmas. For me, it's just another day. Please understand. Okay?"

"Okay," Chloe says with a sigh. "But, if you change your mind, Brey and I are leaving tomorrow around 11:00 am."

"I won't, but thanks," Beca said. "Now give me the hug you've been holding back on because I need to get to the station."

Chloe smiled and grabbed Beca in a hug. Beca hugged her back.

"I'm going to miss you, Becs," Chloe whispered to Beca.

"I'm going to miss you, too, Chlo," Beca whispered back.

The two stood hugging each other until Beca finally pulled back. She gave Chloe a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Okay, Beale," Beca said. "I gotta go. Tell your family Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or whatever. I'll see you when you get back."

"Bye, Becs," Chloe said and walked Beca to the door.

Beca left and gave Chloe a small wave before Chloe closed the door. Chloe leaned against the door for a moment thinking how she wished she had the courage to tell Beca how she felt about her. She shook her head and went back to continue packing.

Beca left the Bella House and slowly made her way to the radio station, thinking about Chloe the whole way. She really wished she could love Christmas like Chloe does because she was in love with the girl. She didn't have the guts to tell her because she was afraid it would mess up their friendship and Chloe would walk away if she knew how Beca really felt about her. It was just too risky.

Beca walked into the station and got settled in the booth. No one else was around and the place was eerily quiet. She had offered to take a double shift since she was done with her finals and everyone else either had to study or take their finals. She queued up her playlists so that the first would play from 11:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m and she could get in some sleep.

"What's up, Barden?," Beca called over the air waves. "This is DJ BMitch and you are listening to WBUJ, music for the independent mind. I'm not going to bore you by talking so here's a 3 hour block of music to study by."

With that, Beca hit the button and her playlist started. Beca set the alarm on her phone and leaned back in her chair and fell asleep.

"Beca?," a voice called. "Beca, I need you to look at me."

"What the hell?," Beca said as her eyes opened. "Mom?"

"Yes, Beca," Mrs. Mitchell said. "It's me. I came to tell you something very important."

"But," Beca stammers. She jumps up and puts her back against the wall. "You-, you're dead."

"That's right," her mom said. "I am. I have been sent back to tell you that you need to change the path you're on or you will not find your true destiny."

"Change my path?," Beca asks. "Find my true destiny? What does that even mean?"

"You will be visited by three ghosts tonight," her mom said ignoring her questions. "The first will arrive as the clock strikes midnight. Listen to what they say. You need to find your destiny."

The image of her mom fades away leaving Beca with a tear running down her face.

"Mom?," Beca called out. "Are you still here?"

Beca sat up suddenly and realized she was still in her chair. The playlist she had started had only been playing for about an hour. She looked around the booth and didn't see anyone or anything moving about.

"Wow," Beca thought wiping her eyes. "That was some dream."

She yawned and checked her phone. It was almost midnight so she double checked her alarm and settled in the chair. She had only been asleep for a few moments when she heard her name being called. She jerked up in her chair and looked around. She didn't hear or see anything. She settled back down and closed her eyes. She jerked forward when someone smacked her in the back of her head.

"What the hell?," Beca yelled jumping up. "Stacie! What the fuck, dude?"

"I am the ghost of Christmas past," Stacie said. "I'm here to show you where it all started."

"Where what started?," Beca asked rubbing the back of her head.

"Your hatred for all things Christmas," Stacie said.

"You don't need to show me anything," Beca said. "I know exactly when it began."

"Well, then my job should be easy," Stacie said and grabbed Beca by the hand.

"Whoa, dude," Beca said as she felt like she was hurtling through space.

Suddenly she was in her old living room staring at a Christmas tree with presents underneath. She saw her mom sitting on the sofa with her head in her hands. She reached out to comfort her but her hand went right through her mother.

"What the hell?," Beca said and looked at Stacie.

"We are only here to observe," Stacie told her. "They can't see or hear us."

Beca looked toward the stairs when she heard heavy footsteps coming down them. Her dad was carrying a suitcase in each hand.

"Why are you doing this?," her mother asked her father. "Today of all days."

"It doesn't matter the day," her father said. "I'd still be leaving. Sheila is waiting for me to spend Christmas with her. I'll get the rest of my things later."

"Did Santa come?," the voice of a 5-year-old Beca asked as she came running down the steps.

"He came, he came," Beca squealed jumping up and down.

Beca looked at her mom and saw that she was crying. She walked over to her and put her hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong, mommy?," Beca asked.

Her mother looked at her and cleared her throat.

"You're father's leaving," her mother said.

Beca looked over at her father and saw him standing there with his head down, holding two suitcases tightly in his hands.

"Do you have to leave now?," Beca asked quietly. "Doesn't your work know it's Christmas?"

Her father just stood there not saying anything.

"It's not for work, baby," her mother told her. "He's leaving us and he's not coming back."

Tears started to roll down Beca's face as she ran over to her father.

"No," Beca screamed. "You have to come back. You're my daddy. Daddy's are supposed to come back."

Beca put her arms around her father's leg and held on, crying for him to stay.

Older Beca looked at Stacie with tears in her eyes.

"Why would you make me relive this in person?," Beca choked out.

"It has to be this way," is all Stacie said. "We must start from the beginning."

Beca's father put his suitcases down and pulled young Beca off his leg.

"Will you get your daughter?," he says to Beca's mother angrily. "I need to go."

Her mother stood up and went over and picked Beca up. Beca fought her and kept calling out to her father.

"Daddy!," Beca yelled struggling against her mother. "Please, daddy! I'll be good. I'll eat my vegetables. I won't make noise. Please, daddy, don't leave!"

Mrs. Mitchell held Beca tightly while the two cried. Mr. Mitchell smoothed down his shirt and picked up his bags. He walked out without saying another word. Beca's mother stopped trying to hold her daughter back and finally set her down on the floor. Beca looked up at her mother with tears streaming down her face. She turned and walked back upstairs to her room. She never did come back down to open her presents. Her mother had someone come and haul everything away the next day.

Stacie took Beca by the hand and before Beca knew it they were in her grandmother's house the following year. She knew the day well. It was three days after Christmas. She was six and they were burying her mother, because three days before, on Christmas, her mother killed herself.

"Come on, dear," her grandmother said. "We have to go now."

Beca slowly stood up and let her grandmother take her hand. They drove through the quiet streets and ended up at her grandmother's small church. The two of them and the minister were the only ones there. The minister spoke some words about life and death and ended with a prayer. Some men came and took the casket that held her mother and pushed it outside. Beca didn't cry. Her mother left her just like her father, and neither one of them were coming back.

"She killed herself on Christmas day," Beca told Stacie. "The divorce from my father was finalized the week before. My father leaving on Christmas and my mother killing herself on Christmas, is why I don't do Christmas."

Stacie gave Beca a sad smile. "I'm sorry," was all she could say.

Stacie took Beca's hand again and then they were back in the booth at the radio station.

"You will be visited by two more ghosts," Stacie told her. "Please, listen to them so that you can find your true destiny."

"What the fuck is my true destiny?," Beca asked angrily. "That's the second time tonight I've been told I needed to find my destiny."

Beca looked back at Stacie awaiting an answer. Stacie wasn't there. She turned in circles looking for any sign of Stacie, but Beca was alone again. She ran her hand through her hair and sat back down in her chair. She pulled out her phone and saw that it was almost 2:00 am. She put her phone back and queued up another playlist so she would have at least 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

She settled back down in her chair and got comfortable. She fell asleep thinking about Stacie and her parents. She doesn't know how long she had been sleeping when she suddenly jerked awake to find Amy staring her in the face.

"What up, Shawshank?," Fay Amy said.

"Jesus, Amy," Beca yelled as she almost fell out of her chair. "You scared me half to death."

"I am the ghost of Christmas present," Amy said and Beca snickered.

"Christmas present?," Beca asked.

"Come on, Beca," Amy said. "I'm going to show you how your actions affect those around you."

Before Beca could say anything, Amy grabbed her hand and they were flying through space. Or that's what it felt like to Beca. Once they came to a stop, Beca blinked and saw that they were in Chloe's room. She saw Chloe sitting on her bed with Aubrey's arms around her and her head on Aubrey's shoulder.

"I knew there was something going on with those two," Beca said.

"Shut up, Shawshank, and listen," Amy told her.

"I can't help it, Brey," Chloe said with tears in her eyes. "I just want to know how she feels about me."

"Maybe you should just tell her," Aubrey said. "Then you'll know one way or the other."

"So, they're not together?," Beca asked with a furrowed brow.

"Shh," Amy said.

"But, she's Beca," Chloe said and Beca gasped. "If I tell her that I love her, she'll run. I just feel so bad about her being alone on Christmas."

"She loves _me_?," Beca whispered.

"Does anyone even know why she hates Christmas so much?," Aubrey asked.

"She's never told anyone that I know of," Chloe said. "She just says she hates it. She doesn't accept presents, she hides out at her grandma's house, and she walks around sad and angry throughout the holiday."

"She accepts gifts from you," Aubrey told her.

"Yeah, but barely," Chloe says. "She actually gave me one this year. I really hate that she spends Christmas alone every year, hiding out in her room. Remember last year when that freaky ice storm kept most of us here until after Christmas? Jessica, Ashley, and I did everything we could to make it festive so we didn't miss our families so much. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn't get Beca to come out of her room to celebrate with us. We made a nice Christmas dinner and she came down and got a bowl of cereal and went back up to her room. I begged and pleaded with her to join us. She got really mad at me and didn't speak to me for almost a month."

"I'm sorry, Chlo," Aubrey said. "I think you should just try and forget about having anything other than a friendly relationship with her."

"I've tried to move past this," Chloe said with tears in her eyes. "But, other than Christmas, she's always laughing and doing nice things for me. Sometimes I think she actually does like me more than as her friend. But, maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part."

Beca looked at Amy and Amy took her hand. They were now in the Beale home and it was Christmas morning. Beca saw Chloe and Aubrey laughing at something Chloe's dad had said. The doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Chloe called out and ran to the door and pulled it open. "Tom? What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Chloe," Tom said. "I heard you were home and wanted to see you. Can I talk to you?"

Chloe let him enter and then grabbed him in a hug. She pulled back from the hug and looked up at him. Tom looked down at her and smiled; Chloe smiled back.

"What the fuck is he doing here?," Beca asked nostrils flaring. "He broke her heart 3 years ago and comes waltzing over like nothing happened back then."

"Come on, Tom," Chloe said taking his hand. "We'll go into the kitchen to talk."

Aubrey was the only one who was paying attention and saw Chloe holding Tom's hand as they passed by the living room. She raised her eyebrows and smiled when she caught Chloe's eye. Chloe just winked at her and continued leading Tom into the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, Chloe and Tom sat at the counter. Tom turned to look at Chloe.

"You look really good, Chlo," Tom said.

"You, too," Chloe said and smiled shyly.

"Look," Tom said. "I know I was a real dick to you back at Barden. I'm not the same guy I was then and I can't stop thinking about you. I miss you, Chlo."

Chloe looked at Tom and bit her lower lip.

"Oh, come one," Beca said. "She's not buying this whole 'I've changed' shit is she?"

"Just watch and listen," Amy said.

"I want to apologize for everything," Tom said. "I was wondering if while you're here we can maybe get together and I can show you how I've changed. I'd like a second chance. I, I still love you, Chlo."

"She'll say no," Beca said with a smug grin. "I was there when she swore that Tom was nothing to her but a memory. He hurt her too bad and she'll never forgive him."

"I'd like that," Chloe said with a smile. "I still care about you, too, Tom. And, I think everyone deserves a second chance."

"What the fuck?," Beca exclaims.

Before she can see any more, Amy takes her hand and they are back in the booth.

"What the hell, Amy?," Beca said. "Does Chloe really get back with that douchebag?"

"That all depends on you," Amy said. "If you find your true destiny, you will know."

"There's that fucking destiny thing again," Beca said. "Why won't anyone tell me what my true destiny is?"

Beca looked around and found herself alone again.

"Of course," she mutters.

She sits down in the chair and thinks about Chloe being with Tom. Her brows are furrowed and she's not sure what it is she's feeling right now. She jumps when she hears an alarm go off. She checks her phone to see that it is 5:00 am. She hurriedly adds another 3 hour playlist to the queue and tells the listeners they were listening to a commercial free WBUJ. She hit play and the next set of songs begins. She falls asleep and is suddenly wakes up when she feels a hand land on her shoulder.

"Fuck!," Beca yells and turns to see who it is. "Lily?"

"I am the ghost of Christmas future," Lily said and takes Beca's hand.

Beca finds herself in what looks to be a small dining room. Chloe is sitting at the table holding her head in one hand and an almost empty bottle of what looks like whiskey in the other. She watched as Chloe took a drink directly from the bottle.

"Come on, Chloe," Tom says sounding frustrated as he entered the room. "Your folks are expecting us for Christmas dinner."

"Fuck off," Chloe slurs.

"Chloe," Tom says. "You have to stop this. I get that she was your best friend, but it's been a year since she killed herself. Killing yourself with booze isn't going to bring her back."

"What part of fuck off did you not understand?," Chloe yells at him.

"Chloe," Toms says in exasperation. "This is not healthy. I love you but I can't stand to see you like this. I know you cared about her-".

"I didn't just care about her," Chloe yelled. "I loved her. I still love her. I can't understand why she would do that to herself. To me. Why couldn't she just love me."

"You're making it really difficult for me to want to be with you," Tom said. "And, if I walk out that door without you, I'm not coming back."

Chloe just looked at Tom and downed the rest of the bottle of whiskey.

"Bye," is all Chloe says.

Tom angrily stormed out the door. Chloe just laughed and staggered to the cupboard and pulled out another bottle. She twisted the cap off and took a big drink. She leaned against the counter and slid down to the floor.

Beca watched all this with tears in her eyes. She looked at Lily who was just staring back at her. Suddenly, the door to the apartment opens and Aubrey is entering.

"Chloe?," Aubrey calls out. "Chloe?"

Chloe doesn't answer and Beca looks back at her. She is still sitting with her back against the counter and she's not moving.

"No, no, no," Beca screams out and runs over to Chloe.

Beca tries to pull Chloe to her but her arms just go right through her. She watches as Aubrey drops to her knees next to Chloe. Tears fall from Aubrey's eyes as she grabs Chloe and shakes her. Chloe doesn't respond and Aubrey tearfully dials 911 and tells them she needs an ambulance. She then sits there and holds Chloe as tears continue to silently fall down her face.

Beca runs back over to Lily.

"Do something," Beca begs her tears streaming down her face. "She can't die. She just can't."

She looks back at Chloe and Aubrey to find they've disappeared.

"What happened to her?," Beca asks Lily. "You have to tell me."

Beca jerks awake when she hears an alarm go off. She wipes her face and looks around. She's back in the booth.

"What the fuck is happening to me?," she mutters as she runs her hands through her hair.

She looks at the time and sees it is now 8:00 am. Only three more hours and her shift was done. She queued up another playlist to make it through the next three hours.

"Okay, Barden," Beca said into the mic. "This is WBUJ and we're on the air until 11:00 am. We'll then be off the air. We will return at 6:00 pm tonight with Christmas music to carry you through the night. This is DJ BMitch and I'll be signing off now so you can enjoy another 3 hour block of commercial free music."

Beca was just sitting there, bopping her head to the beat of the mix that was playing, when she hears a voice call out her name. Beca turns toward the voice to see Emily Junk standing there next to Lily.

"Emily?," Beca said confused. "Why am I seeing you? I'm not asleep. Am I?"

Emily just turned to look at Lily.

"I'll take it from here," Emily told Lily.

Lily just nods her head and fades away.

"Emily, please tell me," Beca begs. "Is Chloe going to be okay?"

"I am also the ghost of Christmas future," Emily says. "I am here to show you the alternate future. The future that could be yours if you find your true destiny."

"Show me," Beca said. "Please. As long as it's a future with Chloe still alive, I'll take it. Just please don't let her die."

Emily takes Beca's hand and they are in a huge living room decorated to the nines. There's a very tall Christmas tree in the corner with presents all around. The whole place screams "I love Christmas and I'm not afraid to show it." Beca looks around and lets out a low whistle.

"Wow," Beca said. "Somebody struck it rich."

"Come on, mommy," a little voice calls out.

Beca looks over and gasps. The voice belongs to a little girl who is nothing short of a Chloe Beale clone. She looks to be about 4 years old.

"I'm coming, Soph," the angelic voice of Chloe Beale calls out.

Beca smiles as she looks back and sees Chloe. Chloe is carrying another little girl with brunette hair. Beca guesses she's about two. She watches as Chloe takes Soph by the hand and they walk over to the tree. Soph pulls away from Chloe and starts reaching for the presents.

"Not yet, Soph," Chloe says. "We have to wait for mama."

"Mama?," Beca said. "Chloe married a woman?"

"Just watch," Emily said with a smile.

"Go see where she is," Chloe told Soph.

Soph went running by Beca and Emily and Beca watched as she ran around the corner out of sight.

"Mama, mama," Soph could be heard yelling. "Santa came."

They heard a muffled voice but couldn't make out what was being said. They heard Soph squeal and giggle. Suddenly, Beca let out a gasp and her mouth hung open. She watched in awe as she, herself, carried Soph over to Chloe.

"Merry Christmas, babe," Chloe said kissing the other Beca.

"Merry Christmas," Beca said and pulled Chloe into a deeper kiss.

"Stop kissing," Soph said squished between them. "So we can open presents."

Chloe pulled back and laughed.

"Of course, your majesty," Beca said putting Soph down.

Beca stood there with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face.

"I get it now," Beca said. "I know what my true destiny is. It's Chloe."

Emily smiled and clapped her hands and Beca's head snapped up.

"When did I fall asleep again?," Beca asked softly.

Beca looked at her phone and saw that it was almost 11:00.

"Shit," Beca said.

Beca grabbed her computer bag and ran out of the studio. She ran as fast as she could to the Bella House. She was almost there when she saw Chloe getting into her car.

"Chloe!," Beca yelled. "Chloe! Wait!"

Chloe turned her head to see who was calling. She saw Beca running towards her and stepped away from the car.

"Beca?," Chloe says.

"Chloe," Beca panted as she ran up to Chloe. "I'm glad I caught you."

"Beca?," Chloe said. "Are you okay?"

Beca nodded and panted, holding her side. Aubrey got out of the passenger side of the car and opened the back. She grabbed a bottle of water and walked over to hand it to Beca.

"Thanks," Beca said as she took it.

She opened it and took a drink. Her breathing slowed down and she looked at Chloe. She set the water bottle on top of the car.

"Do you love me?," Beca asked staring at Chloe.

"What?," Chloe asked looking confused by the question.

"Do you love me?," Beca asked again.

"Of course, I do, silly," Chloe said. "You're one of my best friend."

"No," Beca said shaking her head. "Do you _love,_ love me?"

"Beca," Chloe says softly.

"Please, Chloe," Beca said taking Chloe's hands in hers. "I have to know. Do you love, love me?"

Chloe looks at Aubrey. Aubrey smiles at her and mouths 'here's your chance.' Chloe looks back and Beca and clears her throat.

"Yes," Chloe says looking directly at Beca. "I love you. I'm in love with you."

A large smile spreads across Beca's face.

"Good," Beca said as she pulled Chloe toward her. "That means I can do this."

Beca puts her hands on the sides of Chloe's face and crashes her lips into Chloe's. Chloe is shocked and hesitates for a moment. She then finds herself falling into Beca. She puts her arms around Beca's waist and pulls her closer, deepening the kiss. Aubrey steps away and stands on the other side of the car, smiling.

Chloe pulls out of the kiss first and puts her forehead on Beca's. Both are left a little breathless from the kiss.

"I love you, too," Beca whispers to Chloe. "And I want a future with you. I want to spend this Christmas with you. I want to spend every Christmas with you for the rest of our lives. You are my true destiny Chloe Beale."

Chloe just smiles and pulls Beca into another kiss. Beca pulls back this time and grabs Chloe into a hug. Both are laughing and crying at the same time.

"It's about time, hobbit," Aubrey says from the other side of the car.

Beca just smiles at her and Chloe pulls out of the hug.

"Get your stuff," Chloe said. "We want to get on the road."

"Bossy," Beca teased. "I like it. I'll just be 5 minutes."

She gives Chloe a quick kiss and runs toward the house the grab her stuff. Chloe looks over at Aubrey and smiles. She also gives a little squeal and a does a happy dance. Aubrey just shakes her head at her best friend and smiles back at her.

Beca sees Stacie, Amy, Lily, and Emily standing on the porch, smiling at her. She smiles back and them as she walks up the steps.

"Looks like somebody found their true destiny," Stacie said as Beca reached the top of the steps.

Beca stopped and looked at Stacie and Stacie just winked at her. The four girls went down the steps and started walking over to Chloe's car to say goodbye to her and Aubrey. Beca smiled and shook her head as she ran into the house to grab her stuff. She was so glad she had taken the time last night to pack her stuff to take to her grandma's so she didn't have to make Chloe wait. She'd waited for Beca long enough.

Beca ran to Chloe's car and threw her bag in the trunk. Chloe opened the door but before she got in, Beca grabbed her arm.

"Hey," Beca said. "Would you be my girlfriend?"

"Yes," Chloe squealed and pulled Beca into a kiss.

They jumped apart when they heard the car horn.

"Come on you two," Aubrey called from the passenger seat. "We're burning daylight."

Chloe gave Beca another quick kiss and they both got into the car. As Chloe drove away from the Bella House, Beca smiled and caught the wink Chloe threw her in the rearview mirror. Yep, she had found her true destiny.


	2. Christmas in Cabo

**After seeing pictures and videos of some of the girls from Pitch Perfect vacationing together in Mexico, I wanted to do a story around it. This just seemed like the perfect time to do one. Enjoy!**

* * *

Beca opened the door to her Cabo villa and set her suitcase down. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Christmas in Cabo all alone," Beca sighed. "Finally!"

She walked into the darkened kitchen and opened the refrigerator. She furrowed her brow when she saw takeout containers on the shelves.

"Why are there leftovers?," Beca asked herself. "Oh, God. I bet Stacie and Amy decided to come here and didn't tell me. Dammit! There goes my alone time."

Beca grabbed a bottle of water and then went into the living room. She turned on the lights and saw Christmas decorations all over the place. There were even a few packages under the tree.

"Are you fucking kidding me?," Beca said to the empty room.

She turned and ran towards the stairs leading to the bedrooms.

"Stacie! Amy!," Beca yelled as she went upstairs taking them two at a time. "Get your sorry asses up!"

She had just reached the landing and yelled for both girls again when the door to her left opened up and an uptight looking blonde walked out.

"Could you please lower your voice?," the blond asked. "You're going to wake the whole house. Who are you anyway?"

"Who the fuck are you?," Beca asked.

"My name is Aubrey Posen," the blonde said. "I'm a friend of Stacie's. Now, who the fuck are you?"

"I own the place," Beca told her and the yelled out. "Stacie, you'd better show yourself!"

"Will you be quiet?," Aubrey hisses at Beca. "You're going to wake the whole house!"

"It's my house!," Beca said. "And I don't care who I wake up. Stacie, if you don't-"

"Beca, shut up already!," Amy said as she came out of one of the rooms.

Beca glared at her.

"I mean, um," Amy stammered. "Hey, Beca. Nice to see you."

"What the hell are you doing here?," Beca asked walking up to the sassy Australian.

"Stacie said you weren't going to use the place and a couple of the Bellas didn't have anywhere to go for Christmas, so we invited them all here for an orphan Christmas," Amy said all in one breath.

"All?," Beca said. "You have a bunch of strangers in my house without my knowledge or permission? Where the fuck is Stacie?"

"I'm right here, Beca," Stacie said from behind Beca.

Beca noticed that there were several girls now coming out of various rooms.

"What the hell, Stace?," Beca said. "I know you're my cousin, but I came here to get away from people for Christmas. Instead, I now have your glee club here."

"We're actually an a capella group," Aubrey informs Beca.

"I don't care," Beca said and turned back to look at Stacie. "How long are they here for?"

"Just until the day after New Year's," Stacie said looking everywhere but at Beca.

"And why wasn't I asked if this would be okay?," Beca said glaring at Stacie.

"You said you had to work, Shawshank," Amy told Beca as she came to stand next to Stacie. "We didn't think it mattered."

"How many times have I told you," Beca said through gritted teeth as she advanced toward her cousin and best friend. "You always, ALWAYS, need to ask me before you just fly down here and take over my house."

"You have our sincerest apologies, Miss Mitchell," a voice said from behind Beca causing her to turn around. "We will find reservations to return to Atlanta as soon as we can. We did not mean to intrude. We were not aware that Stacie and Amy didn't have permission for us to be here. We'll be out of your hair just as soon as we can."

Beca could only stare. Before her stood one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen. The redheaded, blue-eyed beauty before her took her breath away.

"Miss Mitchell?," the redhead said reaching out to grab Beca's arm. "Miss Mitchell? Are you okay?"

Beca blinked and came to her senses.

"What's your name?," Beca asked.

"Chloe. Chloe Beale," the redhead answered. "I'm Co-Captain of the Bellas."

"And, Chloe, how exactly did you know my name if you weren't aware this was my house?," Beca asked.

"Oh, that's easy," Chloe said with a big smile. "I'm a big fan. What you did with Pink's last album was pure genius."

"Um, thank you," Beca said.

Beca looked around at all the girls looking at her with frightened but hopeful expressions. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Fine. You can all stay," Beca said to Chloe. "I'll just fly to Atlanta tomorrow and you can have your orphan Christmas or whatever you want to call this."

"You don't have to leave," Stacie said. "Why don't you stay and have Christmas with us? We're going caroling and, of course, shopping. Plus, the beach is right outside your door. It'll be fun."

"I'd rather not," Beca said.

"Why not?," Chloe asked.

"Yeah, Becs," Stacie said. "Why not? There's nothing waiting for you back home."

"Thanks for that reminder, Stace," Beca told her with a glare.

"I'm sorry, Beca," Stacie said walking over to her and grabbing her into a hug. "I didn't mean it like that."

"I know," Beca said. "Fine, I guess I'll stay. Now get your boobs out of my face so I can go to bed."

"Yay," Chloe said and squealed. She ran over and grabbed Beca in a hug. "Thank you, so much, Miss Mitchell."

Beca looked over at Stacie with a "what the Hell" look and Stacie just smiled at her.

"Um, you're welcome," Beca said awkwardly patting Chloe on the back. "And, call me Beca. All of you. I just need to get my bag from downstairs. You can all go back to bed."

Chloe pulled out of the hug and stepped back.

"Um, Becs," Stacie said.

"What now?," Beca asked turning to look at the leggy brunette.

"Chloe's in your room," Stacie said. "And there aren't any beds left."

"Oh, no worries," Chloe said. "I can totes sleep on the couch downstairs."

"No," Beca said. "No one is sleeping on the couch. There's a king sized bed in my room and you're welcome to stay if you don't mind sharing."

"I don't mind," Chloe said with a huge smile on her face.

That smile scared Beca.

"Okay," Beca said. "Good night everyone. We can do more formal introductions in the morning."

Everyone went back into their rooms and Beca went downstairs. She grabbed her bag and turned out the lights. She headed back upstairs and, out of courtesy, stopped and knocked lightly on the door. She opened it only when she heard a soft voice from inside telling her to 'come in.'

"I wanted to apologize for earlier," Beca said to Chloe who was sitting up in bed. "I didn't mean to be so rude. I just wasn't expecting to find anyone in my house when I got here."

"It's fine," Chloe said with a wave of her hand. "Stacie and Amy really should have told you that they invited us here."

"So, what are your stories?," Beca asked as she pulled something to wear to bed out of her bag. "Why are you all orphans this Christmas?"

"Oh, my folks decided to go on a cruise with my aunt and her husband for Christmas," Chloe said. "Aubrey doesn't like going home so she always tells her dad that she has to work. CR and Denise are dating and neither of their families like the fact that their daughter is gay. Jessica is from Alaska and Ashley is from Hawaii. Their families couldn't afford the air fare so they could go home. The only reason we are all here is because Amy and Stacie paid our air fare as a Christmas present."

"I'm sorry to hear about all that with you girls," Beca said. "I only chose to be here to get away from some things that are going on with the studio. Otherwise, I would have probably worked right through Christmas and New Year's."

"Well, I'm glad you're here," Chloe said as she laid down and pulled a sheet over her.

Beca took her sleepwear and toiletries and went into the bathroom to change and brush her teeth. She came back out about 10 minutes later to find Chloe asleep. She smiled down at the redhead and climbed in on the other side of the bed. She got comfortable and fell asleep almost immediately.

The sun lit the room and Beca was still half asleep when some sound was forcing its way into her brain. She finally opened her eyes and saw Stacie, Amy, and a few other girls standing at the end of her bed looking at her with smiles on their faces and she heard someone giggling. She went to sit up and felt a weight covering the entire left side of her body. She looked down and all she saw was a patch of red hair splayed across her chest.

"Um," Beca said looking down at Chloe and back up at the girls.

"I got this," Aubrey said and stepped over to the side of the bed. She leaned down slightly, and in a voice just above a normal speaking voice said, "Beca Mitchell is in Cabo this week."

Chloe sat straight up and pushed back her hair back from her face.

"Beca Mitchell's here?," Chloe said.

"Um, yeah," Beca said and pointed at herself. "Right here."

Chloe looked down at Beca and smiled. Suddenly her face turned red, her eyes got wide, and she scooted back across the bed until she fell into a heap on the other side. Beca crawled over to the end of the bed and looked down at Chloe on the floor.

"Are you okay?," Beca asked her.

"Oh, my gosh," Chloe said with her hands covering her face. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to. I just. I'm sorry."

"She's a cuddler," Aubrey said with a laugh. "We should've warned you last night."

"It's okay. Really," Beca said with a smile. "I'm just amazed she managed to get all the way across the bed to my side without me noticing."

Chloe sat up and looked at everyone watching her and Beca. Beca jumped off the bed and held her hand out to help Chloe up. Chloe took it and Beca pulled her up and close to her.

"If anything hurts," Beca said with a smirk. "I'd be happy to kiss it and make it all better."

Chloe blushed but then looked Beca in the eye and, with a wink, said, "Anything?"

Beca blinked and then let out a laugh.

"I like you, Miss Beale," Beca said. "This Christmas may not be so bad after all."

Chloe smiled a big smile and Beca gave her one back.

"Now," Beca said letting go of Chloe's hand. "Who's hungry?"

Amy and Stacie fist bumped each other as they followed the rest of the girls out of the room. Beca made everyone pancakes and once the kitchen was cleaned, they all went to get ready for their shopping excursion.

"Chloe you can use the shower first," Beca said as the redhead headed upstairs. "I need to talk to Stacie and Amy for a minute."

Stacie and Amy stopped and turned to follow Beca into the living room. The sat down next to each other on the sofa across from Beca.

"Can you give me some ideas on gifts I can get for the girls?," Beca asked.

"You don't have to do that Beca," Stacie said. "They won't be expecting it."

"I know," Beca said. "But, they are guests in my home and it wouldn't be right to not have something for them under the tree."

"Well, we all like music," Stacie said. "So, anything related to music would be nice."

"Like what?," Beca asked.

"You're a music producer, Beca," Amy said. "I'm sure you can figure something out."

"You're right," Beca said. "I'm going to get ready for our shopping excursion."

"Can I drive the Mustang?," Stacie said excitedly.

"No," Beca said. "You and Amy can take the girls in the SUV."

"But, the SUV only seats seven," Amy said. "And there's eight of us."

"Fine," Beca said. "I'll take Chloe with me."

"Come on, Becs," Stacie whines.

"No," Beca said. "You two are still on my shit list and will not be rewarded for it. Now, go get ready."

The girls were all finally ready and standing in the garage when Beca came out. She throws the keys to the SUV to Stacie and she goes to the Mustang.

"There's only enough room in the SUV for seven," Beca said. "So, Chloe will be riding with me."

Chloe squeals and claps her hands.

"Why does Chloe get to ride with you?," Aubrey asked.

"No offense to the rest of you lovely ladies," Beca said. "But Chloe's just really pretty to look at."

"Thank you," Chloe says with a smile.

"You're welcome," Beca said opening the door for Chloe. "Your chariot awaits."

Chloe kisses Beca on the cheek before getting in and sitting in the passenger seat. The two vehicles drove off and went to the nearest market place. After shopping the girls all wanted to grab a late lunch so Beca took them to one of her favorite places for authentic Mexican food. Beca was sitting next to Chloe and was enjoying getting to know the redhead. Her phone rang and she checked the caller ID and frowned.

"Excuse me," Beca said. "I have to take this. I'll be right back."

Beca walked outside to take the call. Stacie and Amy both watched her leave and looked at each other.

"What's that all about?," Aubrey asked Stacie.

"Probably about the lawsuit," Amy said.

"What lawsuit?," Aubrey asked.

"Some guy stole one of Beca's songs and is claiming he wrote it," Amy said. "Beca had to sue him in order to be able to use her own song. She said she wouldn't care but it's one of the first songs she ever wrote and she wrote it for her mom."

"It's supposed to go to trial in Atlanta starting in early February," Stacie said.

All eight women watched Beca walk back into the restaurant and over to their table. Beca sat down and looked at them.

"What?," Beca asked.

"Was that good news?," Amy asked.

"Yep," Beca said and smiled. "He tried to get the case thrown out and the Judge ruled against him. Said we had a really good case and it will proceed."

"That is good news," Stacie said. "It means you'll be in Atlanta for like six months for the trial."

"Why Atlanta?," Jessica asked. "I thought you lived in L.A."

"I do," Beca said. "This guy that I'm suing, Jurgens, is from Atlanta, so we had to file the suit there."

Everyone went back to eating and talking. Chloe nudged Beca's shoulder.

"So, you'll be in Atlanta for a while," Chloe said. "That's only about an hour from Barden."

"I'm actually renting a house near Barden," Beca said. "Maybe you'd like to come over for dinner sometime."

"I'd like that very much," Chloe said with a smile.

"So would I," Beca said and smiled back.

Stacie and Aubrey were watching the interaction between Beca and Chloe. Stacie smiled.

"I told you they'd hit it off," Stacie whispered to Aubrey. "I think they'll be really good for each other."

"We'll see," Aubrey said.

It was Christmas Eve and the girls had been putting presents under the tree for each other all day. Beca and Stacie, with the help of Jessica and Ashley, had put together a Christmas Eve feast and it was almost ready. Beca kept checking her phone for the time. The box of gifts she had ordered hadn't arrived yet and she was getting worried that it wouldn't get here in time.

Dinner was ready and everyone sat down to eat. They were halfway through their meals when there was a knock at the door. Beca jumped up and ran to the door. She threw it open and signed for the box. She then ran upstairs with the box and didn't come back down for a good 20 minutes. She sat down in her seat and picked up her wine glass.

"What was that all about?," Stacie asked.

"It's nothing," Beca said and sipped her wine.

After dinner, Denise suggested that everyone open one present and save the rest for the morning. This is what her family did every year. Jessica suggested they all put their pajamas on like her family did every year. They all readily agreed and everyone got into their pajamas and met back in the living room. Beca remembered her mom and grandma used to make hot chocolate and eat Christmas cookies on Christmas Eve before going to bed. Beca made the hot chocolate and plated up the cookies. Stacie helped her carry everything into the living room. They handed each girl a mug of hot chocolate and passed around the cookie plate.

"Okay," Denise said. "Is everyone ready?"

Everyone said they were and she pulled out a Santa hat.

"We put everyone's name in the hat," Denise told them. "When you're name is picked out, you get to pick one of your presents to open. Then you pick the next name. We go around until everyone has opened a present. Beca, would you pick the first name since this is your house?"

"Um, okay," Beca said and reached in and pulled out a name. "Ashley."

Ashley looked over her presents and noticed there was one from Beca. She picked it up and turned to Beca.

"You got me a present?," Ashley asked Beca.

"Yeah," Beca said. "I got you all presents. You're guests in my home, it would be rude not to."

The other girls all looked at her.

"What?," Beca said getting a nervous.

"Drop it, girls," Stacie said. "It's done. You'll all love your gifts, I can guarantee you that. Beca has a way of finding just the right gift for people. So, go ahead Ashley. Open it."

Ashley started opening her gift and Beca mouthed a 'thank you' to Stacie, who just winked and smiled at her.

"Oh, my gosh, Beca," Ashley said. "I was looking at this at the market place we went to. It's, it's. Wow, thank you so much."

Ashley jumped up and ran over to hug Beca.

"Thank you," Ashley said.

"Hey, Ash," Jessica said. "What is it?"

"Oh, sorry," Ashley said.

She went back over and removed the rest of the paper from a box so they could see it. Beca had gotten her a professional style standing mixer.

"Look it has all the attachments," Ashley said excitedly. "I can't wait to use this."

Chloe looked over at Beca and smiled. Chloe knew how much Ashley loved to bake and had often talked about opening up her own bakery one day.

"Beca," Stacie said. "Tell her the rest of her gift."

"The rest?," Ashley said.

"Um, yeah," Beca said. "Stacie said that you wanted to open a bakery of your own someday. I'd like to help. When you're ready, I'll provide the startup money for you. I trust Stacie and Amy, and they both say that you're a really good baker. I'm always looking for a good investment."

No one said a word. Ashley sat there stunned. Stacie and Amy smiled as they watched everyone around the room.

"So, um, Ashley," Stacie said handing her the Santa hat. "Your turn to pick a name."

This finally brought everyone out of their dazed stupors and back into opening presents. A few names were drawn and then CR picked a name out the hat.

"Beca," CR said. "Your up."

"Oh, no," Beca said. "That's okay. I am not opening anything that Stacie or Amy is giving me in front of all of you."

"Hey," Stacie said. "I give great gifts."

"Not to me you don't," Beca said.

"Here," Chloe said having gotten up and retrieved a gift from under the tree. "Open mine."

"You got me a gift?," Beca asked. "How? Why?"

"You're our hostess," Chloe said with a cheeky grin. "It would be rude not to."

The other girls chuckled and Beca smiled.

"Touche," Beca said. "Okay, let's see what we have here."

Beca opened the gift and found a framed photo of all the girls, including Beca, that was taken on the beach outside her villa.

"Just a little something to remember us by," Chloe said.

"This is amazing," Beca said. "It's perfect. Thank you, Chloe. I'll treasure it always."

The rest of the girls opened their gift and everyone decided to call it a night. Beca checked to make sure everything was locked up and the lights were out before heading up herself. Chloe was already laying in bed and Beca changed into her pajamas. She got into bed and looked over at Chloe. Chloe looked back at her and Beca smiled and opened her arms for Chloe to move over to cuddle with her. Chloe squealed and moved into Beca's arms. They fell asleep cuddling.

Beca was woken up by a bubbly redhead jumping and down on the bed. As soon as Beca opened her eyes, Chloe plopped down so that she was straddling Beca's hips. Beca leaned up on her elbows and looked at Chloe, who was staring back at her with a huge smile on her face.

"Merry Christmas, Beca," Chloe said.

"Merry Christmas, Chloe," Beca said. "What time is it?"

"It's a little after 7:00," Chloe said. "Time to get up! We have breakfast to make and presents to open."

Beca stayed where she was, just looking at a smiling Chloe. She thought about what it would be like to kiss Chloe. She looked down quickly so that Chloe wouldn't see the blush that had rendered her cheeks a bright pink.

"Um, Chlo?," Beca said.

"Yeah," Chloe said.

"I can't get up until you do," Beca said.

"Oh," Chloe said. "Sorry."

Chloe got up and Beca followed.

"I'll be down to help with breakfast in a couple of minutes," Beca said.

"Okay," Chloe said and skipped out of the room.

Beca and Chloe worked together and made frittatas for the girls. The frittatas were in the oven, the coffee was ready, the tea kettle was on, and Chloe went to wake the girls.

Beca set the table with some holiday china that Stacie had gotten her one year. She put sugar and milk on the table as well as some juice. The girls started coming downstairs and sitting around the table. CR came down and was looking at the tree. She walked over and was checking out something.

"Hey, guys," CR said. "Anyone know anything about this?"

Several of the girls walked over to see what she was talking about. CR was holding a rectangular box that had been sitting on the tree.

"I'm talking about this," CR said waving the box. "There's one for all of us."

"Who's it from?," Aubrey asked.

"It says it's from 'Santa'," CR said.

"Seriously?," Beca asked with a laugh. "Sounds like something Chloe would do."

"It wasn't me," Chloe said.

"Can we worry about it after breakfast?," Amy whines. "I'm starving."

CR puts the gift back on the tree and everyone sits down to eat. Everyone was talking about the 'Santa' gifts, trying to guess what it could be. Stacie and Amy had an idea they knew who 'Santa' was but didn't say anything.

Everyone was done eating and rushed into the living room so they could start opening presents.

"I have a bunch of 6-year-olds for house guests," Beca said with a laugh. "So, any Christmas morning traditions we need to know about before we get started?"

"In my family," Jessica said. "Christmas morning was just a free for all."

"Same here," said Ashley and Denise.

"Well, then," Beca said. "Have at it."

"Wait!," Stacie called out. "I suggest everyone saves the 'Santa' gift for last."

Everyone agreed and started opening their presents. 'Thank you!' and 'how did you know?' were thrown out. Beca sat back and watched everything. It had been so long since she had a real family Christmas and she was enjoying every minute of it. Suddenly, Chloe was by her side.

"You aren't opening your presents," Chloe said. "Something wrong?"

"No," Beca said smiling. "I'm just enjoying the feeling of a real family Christmas. I've only known you girls for a few days, but you feel like family."

"That's sweet," Chloe said and laid her head on Beca's shoulder. "But, you'd better open your gifts because everyone else is almost done and they are all dying to know what Santa brought them."

"Yes, ma'am," Beca said picking up a gift to open.

The girls had a running theme going with their presents for Beca. Each gave her a framed photo of various parts of the past few days. She cherished each and every one of them. Everyone was finished opening their gifts and CR went to the tree and started handing out the 'Santa' gifts. She handed one to Beca. Stacie and Amy looked at each other confused. They thought that Beca had put the Santa gifts on the tree.

"Becs?," Stacie said. "Could I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure," Beca said. "Don't open them until we get back."

The girls all groaned and several said "hurry back."

Beca followed Stacie into the kitchen away from the girls.

"What's up?," Beca asked.

"The Santa gifts is what's up," Stacie said. "I thought you put them on the tree."

"I did," Beca said with a grin. "I had to put one up there for me so no one would know until they opened them. Added a nice air of mystery, don't you think?"

Stacie grabbed Beca in a hug.

"You are something else, Beca Mitchell," Stacie said.

Stacie let Beca go and they went back out to the girls. They all picked up their Santa gift and CR said, "1-2-3, open them!"

The girls all ripped off the paper and found a box. They each opened their box and gasped. Inside was a front row ticket to the already sold out Beyonce concert being held in Atlanta on Valentine's Day. All the girls took out their ticket and looked around at each other.

"There's something else in the box," Stacie said looking in her box.

Her eyes widened and she looked over at Beca who had a huge smile on her face.

"VIP backstage passes!," Denise squealed. "Oh, my God!"

The girls all looked around, squealing and talking excitedly over each other. Chloe got up and grabbed Beca into a hug.

"Thank you, Santa," Chloe whispered in Beca's ear.

By now everyone else had guessed they were from Beca. All the girls jumped up and piled in on the hug, smashing Beca and Chloe together. Beca was laughing and telling them to get off her.

Everyone finally pulled themselves off of Beca, except for Chloe. She kept her arms around Beca's neck and Beca placed an arm around Chloe's waist.

"Beca," CR said. "This is just, wow. How did you manage to pull this off?"

"I called Bey and she had them Fed Exed to me," Beca said.

"You called Beyonce?," CR said. "Just like that? For real? And she just sent you tickets."

"Yeah," Beca said. "I produced her new album, which should drop just after New Year's by the way. So, I called and she was happy to help me out."

Beca noticed that all the girls were quiet and just smiling at her. She looked at Chloe who was looking down at the ground and she would swear she was blushing.

"What?," Beca asked.

Jessica pointed up over Beca's head. Beca furrowed her brow and looked up. Stacie was holding a piece of mistletoe over her head. Beca swallowed and looked at Chloe, who was now looking at her.

"Well, it is tradition," Beca said looking at Chloe's lips.

"Oh, totes," Chloe said inching closer to Beca.

"And, we really shouldn't stray from tradition," Beca said.

"We really shouldn't," Chloe said as she closed the remaining distance and smashed her lips against Beca's.

The girls all cheered and Beca and Chloe started laughing, breaking their kiss.

"I knew you two would get together," Stacie said with a big smile. "You can thank me later."

Stacie went over and sat next to a smiling Aubrey.

"You were right," Aubrey said. "They really do seem right for each other."

Beca smiled and looked at Chloe.

"Merry Christmas, Becs," Chloe said.

"Merry Christmas, Chlo," Beca said. "And for the record. You don't need to have me under the mistletoe to kiss me. You can do it anytime you want."

"Good to know," Chloe said as she pulled Beca into another kiss.


	3. Secret Santa

**Prompt from Electronis Zappa: "The Bellas do a secret Santa. Aubrey and Beca get each other's names. Aubrey uses it to set up Bechloe. You can do whatever you want for Beca's gift to Aubrey."**

 **Couple of notes: This is set the year after the Bellas won the ICCAs. Chloe is a senior again; Aubrey has graduated; and Flo wasn't a Bella yet.**

 **Now, on to the story. Hope you like it.**

* * *

"Hey, Bellas!," Aubrey called out as she entered the Auditorium.

"Aubrey!," yelled the girls and ran to say hi.

"Yeah, okay," Beca said. "I guess we're taking a break."

"Oh, hush, Beca," Chloe said. "Everyone's just excited to see Brey. And, I asked her to come."

"Of course you did," Beca said dryly.

"Brey!," Chloe squealed and ran to give her best friend a hug. "I've missed you."

"I miss you, too," Aubrey said. "I've missed all you girls."

"Not that I don't love you crashing our Bellas practice," Beca said sarcastically. "But, what are you doing here, Aubrey?"

"I told you I asked her to come," Chloe told Beca.

"Okay," Beca said. "But, why?"

"Because it's time to draw names for the Secret Santa," Chloe said.

"Yeah!," the Bellas all screamed.

"Yay," Beca said with less enthusiasm.

Chloe brings out a box and shakes it around. She holds it just high enough that everyone can reach in and not see anything.

"Okay, everyone's name is in this box," Chloe said. "We'll all take a name and buy a 'secret' gift for that person. And remember, the gifts have to be between $10 and $25. We'll exchange our gifts at the Bellas Only Christmas party in three weeks. It will be held at the Bellas house. We can assign duties later."

"Hey, Aubrey," Stacie said. "You're the guest. You pick first."

Everyone agreed and Aubrey reached into the box and drew out a name. She opened the slip of paper to look at the name and then stuck it in her pocket. Chloe went next and drew out a name. She also looked at it and slipped it in her pocket. Beca was next and she muttered a 'Shit!' when she read the name. She quickly looked around to see if anyone heard her and put the paper in her pocket. Everyone else drew a name and started gathering their stuff.

"Hey!," Beca said. "We still have another 90 minutes for practice."

"Oh, shortstack," Amy said putting her arm around Beca's shoulder. "We all know we'll practice for 10 minutes and then you'll call it quits because none of us are really practicing because Aubrey is here. We're just pulling the trigger early."

"Fine," Beca said with a huff. "Take the weekend off while Aubrey's here. But be ready to work twice as hard on Monday."

The girls all stood around looking at Beca. She never gives them the entire weekend off even when Aubrey is visiting.

"Leave now losers," Beca said. "Or start doing some cardio. Your choice."

Everyone started hustling to get out of the Auditorium. Beca hung back and started cleaning up. She was surprised when Chloe and Aubrey started helping.

"I figured you two would be the first ones out the door," Beca said. "Doing some best friend shit or something."

"I guess it's just old habit," Aubrey said. "We were always left to clean up after everyone. We just thought it would go faster if we helped."

"Thanks," Beca said sincerely. "I appreciate it."

"Aw, look at the two of you getting along," Chloe said wiping a pretend tear from her eyes.

"Shut it, Beale," Beca said with a small smile causing Aubrey to laugh.

The last chair was put away and all the trash had been thrown out.

"Hey, Becs," Chloe said. "Brey and I are going to get something to eat. Wanna join us?"

"Yeah, Beca," Aubrey said. "Come with us. We're going to that diner I know you like."

"Thanks for the invite," Beca said. "But, I'm supposed to have dinner at my dad's. Since I now have some free time before that, I'm going to work on a playlist for our Christmas party."

"Oh, okay," Chloe said. "Maybe next time."

"Sure," Beca said. "I'll see you back at the house later."

"Bye, Beca," Aubrey said.

Beca gave them a wave and left.

"You've got it bad for her," Aubrey said to Chloe as they walked toward the diner. "And, she's still oblivious."

"Yeah, I do," Chloe said. "What am I going to do Brey? I can't seem to get her to notice me as anything more than a friend."

"She's a little slow when it comes to some things," Aubrey said. "You just have to ask yourself how long you're willing to wait for her."

Beca hurried back to the Bellas House. She felt bad lying to Chloe but she had picked Aubrey for the Secret Santa and she only had three weeks to find something to give her. She needed to start now if Aubrey was going to have anything to open.

"I could ask Chloe," Beca thought to herself after spending two hours online for ideas. "No. I need to figure this out for myself."

Beca sat at her desk and picked up the Bellas pitch pipe that Aubrey had passed on to her. She twirled it in her fingers and rocked to and fro in her chair. Suddenly, she got an idea and called her dad to let him know she wouldn't be able to make it to dinner. She then grabbed her laptop.

Later that evening, Chloe and Aubrey were hanging out with the other Bellas in the living room. They were trying to decide what movie to watch. Fat Amy and Jessica were making the popcorn and getting the drinks together.

"I'm going to see if Beca's coming down," Chloe said as she got up.

Chloe found Beca sitting at her desk with her laptop open. She was really focused on what she was doing but she wasn't wearing her headphones. Chloe frowned. Beca usually only looks this focused when she's working on her mixes. She wondered what could have Beca's attention.

"Hey," Chloe said just loud enough to not scare Beca.

"Oh, hey," Beca said closing her laptop. "What's up?"

"We're going to watch a movie," Chloe said. "I was hoping you'd join us."

"Okay," Beca said. "Can you give me like five minutes? I just want to finish something."

"Sure," Chloe said. "See you down there."

"Okay," Beca said.

Meanwhile, down in the living room another conversation is taking place.

"Okay, ladies," Aubrey said. "I need your help."

"You know we're here for you, Brey," Stacie said.

The other girls all agreed and Aubrey asked someone to listen for Chloe. Ashley stood near the doorway and nodded to Aubrey to continue.

"I got Beca for Secret Santa," Aubrey said. "And, I want to get her and Chloe together. That's my gift to her."

"Yes, Bloe is on!," Amy yelled.

"Amy!," Aubrey said. "I don't want Beca or Chloe to know."

"Oops, sorry," Amy says and closes her mouth and locks her lips and drops the 'key' down her shirt.

"What's the plan?," CR asked.

"Honestly," Aubrey said. "I don't have one yet. That's where you girls come in. I need some ideas. Nothing to outrageous or outlandish, please. Just something that will make Beca declare her love for Chloe."

"What if we make Beca jealous?," Stacie said. "Set Chloe up with someone and make sure Beca sees them together."

"I don't know," Aubrey said. "I don't want to pull someone else into this. That will only cause problems."

"Hey, Chloe," Ashley said so the other Bellas could hear. "Is Beca coming down? I'm going to the kitchen and can grab her a drink while I'm there."

"Yeah, she'll be down in a few minutes," Chloe said. "She'll probably just want water. Thanks."

"No problem," Ashley said and went into the kitchen.

Chloe entered the living room to find the rest of the Bellas still talking about movie to watch. Beca came down a few minutes later and sat on the floor. Ashley handed her a bottle of water.

"Thanks," Beca said.

"Hey, Becs," Chloe said. "Come sit here. I saved you a seat."

"That's okay," Beca said. "I know how you and Aubrey get. I'd rather take my chances down here."

"Oh. Okay," Chloe said looking crestfallen.

Aubrey and the other girls shared a look. They all hated to see Chloe like this. Beca needed a wake up call.

The movie was over and Beca bid everyone a good night and was up the stairs before anyone could say anything. Chloe let out a sigh and said she was going to bed.

"You coming, Brey?," Chloe asked as she stood up.

"I'm going help clean up first," Aubrey said. "I'll be there in a few."

"Okay," Chloe said. "Good night, girls."

The girls all wished Chloe a good night as well and she went upstairs. As soon as Aubrey heard Chloe's door close, she turned to the other girls.

"I have an idea on how to get those two together," Aubrey said.

Aubrey quickly told the girls her idea and said she needed to get up to Chloe's room before she came looking for her.

"You all know what to do, right?," Aubrey asked.

All the girls nodded and smiled.

"Good," Aubrey said. "I'll see you all in the morning. Operation get BeChloe together is a go."

"Bloe," Amy said.

"BeChloe," Stacie said.

Aubrey just shook her head and went upstairs. She opened Chloe's door to find Chloe laying on her bed staring at the ceiling.

"This had better work," Aubrey thought to herself as she got ready for bed.

Two weeks later and the Bellas House was decorated for Christmas. Chloe and Stacie were putting the finishing touches on the tree when Beca came in.

"Looks nice," Beca said when she saw the tree.

"Wait until you see it all lit up," Chloe said with a big smile. "Tree lighting ceremony will be at 8:00 tonight. And I've declared it mandatory for all Bellas to be there."

"Got it," Beca said.

"Hey, Becs," Stacie said. "A package came for you today. I left it on your bed."

"Cool," Beca said and went running upstairs.

Beca ripped open the package and read the letter that came with it. She smiled and checked the box and put everything together and wrapped it. She then put the wrapped gift in her desk drawer and locked it. She was so going to blow Aubrey away with this gift.

It was the day of the Bellas Christmas Party and every girl at some point had snuck their Secret Santa gift under the tree. Aubrey arrived earlier that afternoon and managed to get her gift for Beca under the tree without anyone seeing. Chloe was overseeing the food preparations in the kitchen with Jessica, Ashley, and Denise. Fat Amy and CR were on a liquor run. Aubrey, Stacie, and Lily were on table setting duty. The plan was to have a nice Christmas dinner before the actual party. Beca got out of much of the preparation because she had a shift at the radio station. The girls were listening to the campus station while they went about their tasks.

It was close to 6:00 and final touches were being done on dinner. Beca came running in at about 5:45 and was on her way upstairs when Chloe called out to her.

"Hey, Beca," she heard Chloe call from the kitchen. "Dinner's on in 15 minutes so don't get lost up there."

"Yes, ma'am," Beca said as she continued upstairs.

Beca dropped all her stuff in her room and hurried back downstairs. She was actually excited about dinner and the party.

"Anything I can do to help?," Beca asked Chloe as she walked into the kitchen.

"You can help take the food to the table," Chloe said handing Beca a bowl of mashed potatoes.

"On it," Beca said.

Dinner was done and everyone was sitting around the table chatting. Beca stood up and started gathering plates and silverware. Stacie and Jessica stood up to help.

"Why don't the rest of you go claim your seats in the living room," Beca suggested. "We'll take care of the dishes and be in to join you."

"That's a great idea," Chloe said. "Let's go girls."

The rest of the girls got up and headed for the living room.

"Thanks, Becs," Chloe said and kissed her on the cheek.

Beca, Stacie, and Jessica put away the leftovers and loaded the dishwasher. Beca started hand washing the pots and pans and anything that didn't make it to the dishwasher.

"What's gotten into you tonight?," Stacie asked Beca as she took a pot to dry.

"I'm just really excited about the Secret Santa," Beca said.

"Wow," Jessica said. "You won the title of Grinch last year, hands down. What's changed?"

"I don't know," Beca said. "I guess Chloe's rubbing off on me. She's always so positive and bubbly. It was bound to happen. I have such a good feeling that tonight is going to be epic."

Jessica and Stacie share a smile. This was going to be an interesting night.

Beca, Jessica, and Stacie joined the rest of the Bellas. Stacie sat next to Aubrey, Jessica sat next to Ashley, and Beca sat next to Chloe. CR, wearing a santa hat, was sitting by the tree. She would be handing out the Secret Santa gifts.

"Okay," CR said. "I'm just going to grab the gifts at random. Whoever's gift it is will open it and guess who the giver is. After all the gifts are opened, we'll reveal who gave what to who. The first gift goes to Ashley."

Ashley opens her gift to find an assortment of bath soaps, lotions, and shower accessories.

"I love it," Ashley said. "I'm going to guess Jessica or maybe Chloe."

"Next we have Fat Amy," CR said.

Fat Amy opens her gift to find a gift card to her favorite candy store with a small supply of her favorite candy as well.

"Aw, yeah," Amy says with a fist pump. "I'm guessing, hmmm, Beca. She always knows my favorite candy."

"Next is Stacie," CR said and handed Stacie her gift.

Stacie opened it to find a persosal manicure set with nail polish, remover, nail files, and the like.

"Ooooh," Stacie said. "I love my cuticle care. Um, I'm going to guess, Aubrey."

"Next is, me," CR said and started opening her present.

"It's the new Rihanna CD," CR said. "I saw this the other day and swore if I didn't get it for Christmas, I would buy it myself. I'm going to guess it was either Chloe or Denise. They were with me when I saw it."

"Okay, next we have Beca," CR said.

Beca took her gift and opened it. Inside was a ticket to the Barden Christmas Festival.

"Oh, my God," Beca said. "This is so cool. I heard that David Guetta was going to be there. This is awesome."

"Who do you think gave it to you?," Amy asked.

"I'm going to say Chloe," Beca said. "She knows how much I admire David Guetta."

"Next we have Jessica," CR said and handed the gift over.

Jessica opened her gift.

"It's a cookie press and a cookie recipe book," Jessica said. "I've been wanting a cookie press and have all these great ideas for cookies I could make using the different designs. I'm going to say Denise or Ashley, because they usually bake with me and know how much I love it."

"Lily this is for you," CR said handing over the next gift.

Lily opened it and found a book on surviving the apocalypse. Everyone looked around with some fear in their eyes.

"It's signed by the author," Lily said loud enough to be heard. "I'm guessing this came from CR."

"Um, okay," CR said. "Next we have Denise."

Denise opened her gift to find a bottle of her favorite perfume.

"I love this stuff," Denise said smelling the bottle. "I'm going to guess CR on this one. She knows I ran out not too long ago."

"Next up is Aubrey," CR said and handed over her gift.

Aubrey took it with a big smile and opened it up. Inside she found an envelope with her name on it. She opened the envelope and found a letter. Aubrey started reading it and tears came to her eyes.

"What is it, Brey?," Chloe asked.

Aubrey couldn't say anything so she just handed the letter to Chloe.

"Can I read it out loud to everyone?," Chloe asked.

Aubrey nodded her head and wiped at the tear that fell.

"My dearest Aubrey," Chloe read. "As former Captains of the Barden Bellas, we want to tell you how proud your Bellas sisters are of you. You were the first to lead our precious Bellas to a win at the ICCAs. We all stand prouder today for what you have accomplished. You did something that none of us could do, you won it. And, no matter how many other ICCA titles the Bellas win, you will be forever known among your sisters as the first to do so. Please accept this small token as our thank you for bringing glory to the Bellas name. And it's signed by like ten different Bellas Captains from over the years."

Everyone in the room could see how much this meant to Aubrey. Aubrey kept her head down and wiped away another tear. Chloe rubbed her back.

"What's the token they mentioned?," Chloe asked Aubrey.

"I don't know," Aubrey said. "I haven't looked yet."

"So, look," Amy said.

Aubrey looked in the box and removed the tissue paper. She gasped when she saw what was in there. She took it out and Chloe gasped as well.

"Oh, my God!," Chloe exclaimed. "Is that the original?"

"Yes," Aubrey choked out.

"The original what?," Stacie asked

"It's the original Bellas pitch pipe," Chloe said in awe. "It's been with the first Captain since the Bellas were put together over 40 years ago."

"Who do you think did this?," CR asked.

"I woud say it was Chloe," Aubrey said. "But she seems just as surprised as I am. I honestly don't know who else would know how much this means to me. Maybe Stacie."

"Well, Chloe, your gift is last," CR said handing her the gift. "The sooner you open it, the sooner we can find out who made Aubrey cry."

The girls all chuckled and Chloe opened her gift.

"I got the same thing as Beca," Chloe said. "A ticket to the Barden Christmas Festival. I guess someone knows I like David Guetta, too. So, I'm going to guess it was Beca, or maybe Aubrey."

"Let's find out who gave what to who," CR said. "I'm just going to call out each person's name in the same order and the giver will reveal themselves. Ashley."

"That was me," Stacie said.

"I guessed wrong," Ashley said with a chuckle. "Thank you, Stacie I love it."

"Amy," CR said.

"That was from me," Jessica said. "Although I did kind of ask Beca for some help."

"Nice," Amy said. "Thank you."

"Stacie," CR said.

"I had Stacie," Denise said.

"Thank you, Denise," Stacie said.

Denise nodded and smiled at Stacie.

"I was next," CR said.

"You guessed right," Chloe said. "I had you."

"Thanks, Red," Chloe said.

"You're welcome," Chloe said with a smile.

"Beca," CR said.

"That was me," Aubrey said.

"Really?," Beca said. "Thanks, Aubrey. It's the best thing you could've given me."

"There's a second part to your gift," Aubrey said. "But, you have to wait a bit for it."

"Um, okay," Beca said and looked at Chloe with a raised brow.

"Don't look at me," Chloe said. "I have no idea what she has planned."

"Jessica," CR said.

"That was me," Lily said. "I really like her oatmeal raisin cookies."

"Thanks, Lily," Jessica said. "Those will be the first batch I make with my new cookie press."

"Lily," CR said.

"That was me," Amy said. "I stood in line for hours to get it signed."

"You met the author?," Lily said. "Thank you! You must tell me all about it."

"See me later," Amy said with a smirk.

"Moving on," CR said. "Denise. That one's easy. It was me."

"Thanks, CR," Denise said.

"Oh, my God," Ashley said. "That just leaves Chloe and Aubrey. And I know I had Chloe, so that means that-"

Every head in the room turned to look at Beca. Beca found the hem of her shirt very interesting and wouldn't look at anyone.

"You did that for Aubrey?," Chloe asked.

"Beca," Aubrey said. "I don't know what to say."

"Thank you is more than sufficient," Beca said still not looking up.

"No, it's not," Aubrey said getting up and going to kneel in front of Beca. "No one has ever done anything like this for me before. Not even Chloe and we've been friends forever. So, no, a simple thank you is not sufficient."

Aubrey took a deep breath and lifted Beca's head up by her chin.

"I'm going to give you the second part of your gift now," Aubrey said.

"You're not going to kiss me are you?," Beca said.

"Don't ruin the moment, Beca," Chloe said and smacked Beca on the arm.

Aubrey looked around at everyone and they all nodded. Aubrey took a deep breath and let it out.

"Chloe is in love with you," Aubrey blurted out.

"Brey!," Chloe yelled.

"Chloe's what now?," Beca asked looking at Aubrey and then at Chloe and back to Aubrey again.

"Yes, Chloe is in love with you," Aubrey said. "That's why each of you only got one ticket to the Barden Christmas Festival, so you'd go together. And, you'd finally tell Chloe how you feel about her. We all know you both have feelings for each other. It's just high time you did something about it."

Chloe sat with her head in her hands, cheeks a bright red.

"I can't believe you did that, Brey," Chloe said quietly.

"So, it's true?," Beca said. "You are in love with me?"

Chloe gave Beca a sidewards glance and mumbled, "Yes."

Beca's face split into a wide smile. She grabbed Chloe's hand.

"Excuse us," Beca said and dragged Chloe into the kitchen.

"Becs, I'm so-"

Chloe was cut off when Beca smashed her lips against Chloe's. Chloe let out a little squeak and began kissing Beca back. Beca pulled back after a few minutes and smiled at Chloe's flushed face.

"I'm in love with you, too," Beca said.

Chloe smiled and leaned in for another kiss. She pulled back and looked at Beca.

"So, do you want to be my date to the Barden Christmas Festival?," Chloe asked.

"Only if I can take you to dinner before we go," Beca said.

"Deal," Chloe said.

"I believe we should seal the deal," Beca said inching closer. "With a kiss."

"I totally agree," Chloe said as she closed the distance and kissed Beca.

They broke apart and look over to see all the Bellas in the doorway cheering. Beca and Chloe both smiled and everyone returned to the living room.

"Beca said this was going to be an epic night," Jessica said. "She was right."

"Whose gift won as best of the night?," Stacie said. "It has to be between Beca and Aubrey. I mean Beca made Aubrey cry, and Aubrey made Beca finally declare her love for Chloe."

"She definitely won," Beca and Aubrey said pointing at the other.

"You did, Beca," Aubrey said. "You gave me the gift of a lifetime."

"No, you win," Beca said. "The gift you gave me will, hopefully, last a lifetime."

"But, you went out of your way to get me the perfect gift," Aubrey said.

"Think we should stop this?," Stacie asked Chloe.

"I know just how to do it," Chloe said with a wink.

Stacie smiled and followed Chloe over to the two arguing Bellas. Chloe stood in front of Beca and Stacie stood in front of Aubrey and took their faces in their hands and lifted their heads. Chloe kissed Beca and Stacie kissed Aubrey, shutting them both up. After thoroughly kissing their respective loves, the two girls pulled back from the kiss, leaving Beca and Aubrey breathing heavy and speechless.

"I think we won that argument," Stacie said.

"We totes did," Chloe said.


	4. Santa Baby

**I already had an idea along these lines planned, and now three "Guests" and ReaganRaine47 have all submitted prompts with basically the same idea, so here we go.**

 **Hope you enjoy this one.**

* * *

Beca Mitchell coundn't believe how far she had come in just five years. Moving to L.A. after graduation was the second best thing she ever did. Asking Chloe Beale to move with her, was THE best thing she ever did. After two years, and Beca becoming a well known name in music circles, Beca asked Chloe to marry her. They married the year after and have now been married two years and are trying to have a baby. They were both tested and they decided that Chloe would try get pregnant first. If it didn't work, then Beca would give it a go. They would alternate so that each of them had time to recover from the emotional roller coast ride they would have to go through when it didn't work. So far, they haven't had much luck and the pressure of getting pregnant has been weighing heavily on both women.

It was early November and they were in the IVF clinic to try once more. It was Beca's turn to try again and she was laying on the table waiting for the doctor. Chloe was hopeful but also scared.

"If it doesn't work this time," Chloe said holding Beca's hand. "Maybe we should give ourselves a longer break before we try again. It's just really taking a toll on me whenever we get a negative result."

"Hey," Beca said. "Look at me. I have a good feeling about this time. But, if it doesn't work, we'll take a longer break before we try again. Okay?"

"Okay," Chloe says with a small smile.

Dr. Montgomery came into the room and smiled at Beca and Chloe.

"Hello, ladies," Dr. Montgomery said pulling on some gloves. "Are we ready to make a baby?"

"We're more than ready," Beca said smiling at Chloe.

"Let's proceed then," Dr. Montgomery says.

Beca is staring out the window as Chloe drives them home. She is going to do everything the doctor said to do to make sure this time it works. She looks over at Chloe and sees she is chewing on her bottom lip. A habit Beca knows means she nervous. They stop at a red light and Chloe looks over at Beca.

"Hey," Beca said with a smile. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Chloe says with a wide smile. "Are you hungry? We can stop at the diner before we go home."

"Can we just order in?," Beca said. "I don't want to have to worry about the paps today."

"You got it, babe," Chloe said and drove them home.

As soon as they got home, Beca went upstairs to change into sweats while Chloe ordered their food. She came back down and they sat on the couch waiting.

"We should have a Christmas party on Christmas Eve and invite all the Bellas over," Beca said suddenly. "I mean it's weird how we all migrated out here to L.A. and the surrounding area. Plus, we have plenty of room if anyone needs to stay overnight."

"Seriously?," Chloe asked smiling. "That's a great idea."

"Yeah," Beca said. "We should send out a text or something letting everyone know so we can start planning. We can do a catered buffet dinner and have egg nog, and hot cocoa with peppermint sticks as stirrers. All the things you go crazy over."

Chloe peppers Beca's cheek with kisses.

"I'm going to call Brey and Stacie," Chloe says just before the doorbell rings. "Right after I get our food."

Chloe answers the door and carries their food into the kitchen. She comes back out a few minutes later carrying two plates of food. She hands one to Beca and sits down. The eat in slience for a bit before Chloe grabs her phone and calls Aubrey. She puts it on speaker and lays it on the cushion between her and Beca.

"Hey, Chlo," Aubrey says answering the call. "We were just going to call you to see how everything went today."

"The procedure was done," Chloe tells her. "Now we just have to wait."

"Well, you know we're all hoping for a positive outcome," Aubrey said.

"Thanks, Aubrey," Beca said. "That means a lot."

"Oh, hey, Becs," Aubrey said. "Didn't know you were on speaker. How are you feeling?"

"I'm good," Beca said. "The reason we called is because we want to have a Christmas party here at our house on Christmas Eve and invite all the Bellas. Would you and Stacie be able to make it?"

"Definitely, Becs," Stacie says.

"Great," Chloe says. "We'll send out more details in the next couple of days."

"Hey, Stace?," Beca says.

"Yeah," Stacie replies.

"Can you send me the contact info for that caterer you guys used for your parents anniversary?," Beca said. "I really liked their food."

"I'll send it to you after we hang up," Stacie said.

"Okay," Beca said. "We'll talk to you later, Stace. I'm going to have a little afternoon delight with my wife. I'm sure you wouldn't mind listening in but I don't think Aubrey wants to hear me defiling her best friend."

"Beca," Chloe says laughing and slapping her on the leg.

They can hear Stacie laughing and an indignant, "I hate you, Mitchell" from Aubrey.

"Love you, too, Posen," Beca says with a laugh. "Bye!"

Chloe hangs up the phone laughing. Beca puts her plate down and takes Chloe's from her and sets it next to hers on the table. She crawls over to Chloe and leans in for a kiss.

"Oh, you were serious," Chloe says pulling Beca down on top of her and kissing her.

The day after Thanksgiving finds Chloe decorating the Mitchell house. Beca comes home and is amazed at how much the redhead has done on her own.

"Looking good, Mrs. Mitchell," Beca says coming up behind Chloe and putting her arms around her waist.

"Why, thank you, Mrs. Mitchell," Chloe says leaning back into Beca.

Beca gives Chloe a kiss on the shoulder and lets her go.

"I'm going to take a quick shower," Beca said. "I'll throw something together for dinner when I get out. I'm in the mood for a grilled cheese with bacon and tomato."

"Sounds good, babe," Chloe said. "I just want to finish up this section and we can do the rest over the weekend."

Beca kisses Chloe and heads upstairs. She uses the toilet and as she's sitting there she notices some tampon wrappers in the trash. Chloe must be on her period, she thinks. She gets up and flushes the toilet. She starts to wash her hands when her eyes suddenly widen and she stands up straight and stares at herself in the mirror. They've been together for so long that their periods have synced. Which means, if Chloe is on her period, Beca should be too. And Beca was not.

Just as Beca was starting to freak out a bit she hears a loud crash and Chloe let out a scream.

"Chloe!?," Beca yells as she rushes out of the bathroom. "Chlo, answer me!"

All Beca hears is Chloe groaning and saying "ow, ow, ow." When she gets to the living room, she sees Chloe sitting on the floor holding her left arm.

"What happened?," Beca asked as she rushed over to Chloe.

"I fell off the step ladder," Chloe said. "I think I may have sprained my wrist."

"Okay," Beca said helping Chloe up. "Let's get you to the hospital to get it checked out."

Several hours and one sprained wrist later, Beca is pulling out of the Taco Bell drive thru. The grilled cheese with bacon and tomato forgotten, along with some other things.

It was a week before Christmas before Beca thought more about the possibility that she might be pregnant. It happened when she went to drink her morning coffee. She got a whiff of the strong brew and had to run to the bathroom and throw up. At first, she thought she ate something bad the night before, but suddenly she couldn't stand the smell of coffee. She stopped on her way home at an out of the way store and picked up a pregnancy test. Chloe was home when she got there so she hid the test in the back of the cabinet under the sink in the guest bathroom. She didn't want to tell Chloe and get her hopes up in case the test was negative. Chloe was busy with her school's Christmas program and getting the house ready for their Christmas Eve party, and Beca knew she was stressed.

The next morning, Beca decided to go in late and once Chloe had left for work, she took the test. It was positive. Beca freaked just a little bit. She decided to get another test just to be sure. She stopped on her way home and brought 3 more tests. She wanted to make absolutely sure that she was pregnant before she even thought about telling Chloe. Chloe wasn't home when she got there so she rushed to their shared bathroom and took another test. She was upset when this one came back negative. She got rid of the box and the test and started dinner. Chloe could tell something was wrong but Beca just blamed it on work stuff, so Chloe let it go.

Beca decided to take another test just to see which of the other two was the real result. She woke extra early the next morning and rushed into the bathroom. She peed on the stick and was waiting for the result to appear when Chloe called her from outside the bathroom. She panicked and threw the test in the trash can.

"Be right there," Beca called back to Chloe through the door.

Beca hurriedly got rid of the box and covered everything in the trash can so you couldn't see anything. She flushed the toilet and washed her hands and went back to bed to cuddle with her wife.

The day before the big party, Beca couldn't stand not knowing so she went to Dr. Montgomery to get a blood test to see if she was pregnant. The doctor told her she would have the results by 4:00 that afternoon and asked Beca to come back then. Beca was a nervous wreck for the rest of the day. She hadn't been able to check the last test she had at home because Chloe had emptied the trash so it could be put out for pick up. At 4:15 that afternoon Beca sat in Dr. Mongomery's office with a big smile and tears rolling down her face. She managed to calm herself down and left the doctor's office. All the way home she thought of some cute ways she could tell Chloe because she knew how much Chloe loved the cheesy, sappy stuff. Beca smiled to herself and decided she would tell her at the Christmas party in front of all their friends. And she had the perfect way to do it.

"You're all smiley tonight," Chloe said as they got ready for bed. "What's gotten into you?"

"If you only knew," Beca thought and smiled again.

"Nothing," Beca said out loud. "I'm looking forward to the party tomorrow. I can't wait to see the Bellas and their families."

"It's going to be epic," Chloe said as she snuggled into Beca. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Beca said and kissed Chloe.

The two got comfortable and were asleep in no time. The next morning, Chloe was up and busy before Beca even thought about waking up. It was close to 11:00 when Beca finally opened her eyes. She got up and wandered downstairs to find her wife. Chloe was in the kitchen sipping on a cup of coffee.

"Morning, babe," Chloe said and gave Beca a quick kiss. "Did you want some breakfast or anything? I'm so excited for today."

"I'll just get a cup of tea," Beca said.

"Okay," Chloe said as the doorbell rang. "That's probably the party rental people. I need to show them where to place the tables and extra chairs. I'll be right back."

Beca put the water on for tea and grabbed her cup. She saw Chloe's list of things that needed to be done and read through it. She saw that Chloe still needed to wrap a few gifts for the girls. Chloe came back into the kitchen.

"Do you want me to wrap the gifts for the girls?," Beca asked.

"That would be a big help," Chloe said hugging Beca from behind. "I still need to make my Christmas fudge and clean the bathrooms."

"How about I do gift wrapping and bathroom cleaning," Beca said. "You can deal with the tables and the caterers, and make your fudge. I'll meet you in the bedroom around 2:30 so we can shower and get ready for our guests to arrive."

"That sounds like a solid plan," Chloe said kissing Beca.

Beca cleaned the bathrooms first. After finishing the upstairs guest bathroom she decided to put her plan for Chloe's gift into action. She took the last pregnancy test from its hiding place and took it. The results were, of course, positive and she smiled.

"Beca," Chloe yelled. "Get down here. Hurry!"

Beca set the test on the counter so she could come back to it. She hurried downstairs and just as she reached the last step she heard, "Becaw!"

"Jesse?," Beca said running over to her best friend. "Oh, my God! What are you doing here?"

Jesse grabbed Beca in a hug.

"I heard there was a Bellas party happening," Jesse said. "Plus, um, Jessica invited me."

"Hey, Beca," Jessica said with a little wave to Beca. "I know we're early but I promised Chloe I'd bring her some of my cupcakes for the party. I need to frost them and get them set up."

"You brought cupcakes?," Beca said giving her a hug. "Well let's find you a work space to get those puppies frosted."

The four friends went into the kitchen and Chloe found some space for Jessica to work. She and Jesse went back out to their car to get everything.

"Jesse and Jessica, huh?," Beca said to Chloe. "Did not see that coming."

"Neither did Jessica," Chloe said with a laugh. "She told me they bumped into each other about 6 months ago. They started talking and one thing led to another and they've been dating ever since."

"I'm really happy for them," Beca said. "They look good together."

Jesse and Jessica got started on frosting the cupcakes and Chloe got the caterers started. Chloe grabbed Beca and said she could help wrap the rest of the gifts. The couple went to their bedroom and took care of the wrapping, talking about Jesse and Jessica.

"All done," Chloe said as she place a bow on top of the last package. "Why don't you jump in the shower and I'll put these under the tree."

"Okay," Beca said.

Beca and Chloe were ready and the guests started arriving. The party had been going strong for about two hours and everyone was having a great time. Beca found Chloe and wrapped her arms around her from behind.

"Hey," Beca said kissing Chloe on the cheek. "I left one of the presents upstairs. I'm going to go get it and then we can have everyone open presents."

"Okay," Chloe said. "I'll start gathering everyone by the tree."

Beca gave Chloe another quick kiss and headed upstairs. She went into their bedroom and dug out the box and second part of her gift to Chloe. She wrapped the lid in paper and put tissue paper in the box. She held up the onesie she had gotten and placed it in the box.

"Shit," Beca said remembering she had left the pregnancy test on the counter in the other bathroom.

She ran into the bathroom and the test wasn't on the counter.

"Shit, shit, shit," Beca muttered over and over again as she frantically searched for the test.

Her heart stopped when she heard Amy's voice yell from downstairs, "Which one of you pitches is pregnant?"

Beca ran out as fast as she could and hurried downstairs to see Amy holding up her pregnancy test.

"Come on," Amy said looking around the room. "Who is it?"

Beca watched as Chloe went over to Amy and took the test from her.

"Where did you find this?," Chloe asked her.

"The guest bathroom upstairs," Amy said. "It was just sitting there on the counter."

Chloe pushed the test back into Amy's hands with a smile on her face.

"Whose is it?," she asked looking around at her friends. "We just want to share in your joy. We're all family here."

"It's mine," a small voice said from the stairs and everyone turned to stare.

Beca turned and ran up the stairs leaving a room full of shocked faces.

"Did she just say?," Chloe asked looking at Amy.

Amy just nodded her head with a smile. Chloe went to go after Beca, but stopped and grabbed the test back from Amy. Just as she got to the bottom of the stairs, Beca was in front of her.

"Here," Beca said handing Chloe the gift she had been putting together for her. "Open it."

Chloe did as Beca said and pulled out the onesie that said "I Love My Two Mommies."

"I was going to put the test in with it," Beca said as a tear slid down her face.

Chloe just looked at Beca with her own tears falling. The room was silent as everyone watched their two good friends.

"You're pregnant?," Chloe asked in disbelief.

"I'm pregnant," Beca said with a smile.

"We're having a baby?," Chloe asked with her trademark Beale smile.

"We're having a baby," Beca said and took Chloe in her arms.

The two hugged and cried. Chloe dropped down to her knees and hugged Beca around her waist. She lifted Beca's shirt and placed a kiss on her stomach.

"Hi, baby," Chloe whispered.

Beca placed her hand on Chloe's head and ran her fingers through her hair. Chloe stood back up and kissed Beca, putting all her love into it. There were plenty of tears from their friends. They all knew how much Chloe and Beca wanted to have a baby. Amy finally broke the quiet when she grabbed Beca and Chloe in a hug.

"Baby Bloe is a go," Amy yelled. "This is not a drill people. Baby Bloe is a go."

Everyone started laughing and joining in the hug. Chloe just buried her head in Beca's neck, not wanting to let go.

"Okay, okay," Beca finally said. "Pregnant woman needing to breathe here."

Everyone started pulling back.

"I'm so happy for you both," Aubrey cried. "We're all so happy for you."

The smile on Chloe's face stayed in place all throughout the night. She was constantly wiping happy tears from her face.

Later that night, after everyone was gone and the few that were spending the night had gone to bed, Beca and Chloe were finally alone in their room. Beca was laying on her back and Chloe was laying with the head on Beca's stomach. Chloe had pushed Beca's shirt up so that her stomach was exposed. Beca ran her fingers through Chloe's hair. Chloe moved up and gave Beca a kiss.

"I love you," Chloe said.

"I love you, too," Beca said giving Chloe a kiss.

Chloe smiled and went back to laying with her head on Beca's stomach. She lightly ran her fingertips back and forth. The last thing Beca remembers before she fell asleep was feeling Chloe kiss her stomach and whispering, "Good night and Merry Christmas, baby. I love you."

* * *

 **I just wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone for the kind reviews so far. I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to respond to them all but I will get to them, I promise.**


	5. A Barden Christmas Carol - Revisited

**Prompt from RJRMovieFan: "I want to see the Tom scene, but where Beca's there to intercede. You could have Tom reveal the "shower scene" to Chloe's family and Aubrey, much to Beca's embarrassment. You could also have Tom be a homophobic jackass and Chloe's family come to Beca's defense. I would also love to see Beca's mom return."**

 **If you haven't already done so, you should probably read Chapter 1 to know what scene is being referred to in the prompt. For this I am picking up near the end of Chapter1, only Beca didn't catch up with Chloe in time before she left to spend Christmas with her family.**

 **I hope you like it.**

* * *

"Fuck!," Beca Mitchell yelled to no one in particular. She was too late and Chloe was already on her way to Tampa for Christmas. The dream, or whatever you want to call it, was so real that she knows she needs to get to Tampa to stop Chloe from making a big mistake. Beca ran into the Bellas house to see if anyone was around.

"Hello?," Beca calls out. "Is anyone home?"

Beca checks every room downstairs and then runs upstairs calling out for anyone.

"Dammit!," Beca says. "I'll call Chloe."

Beca pulls out her phone and calls Chloe's number. It goes to voicemail.

"Dammit," Beca says and tries to call again. Beca tries several more times only to have voicemail pickup. "She's driving. Of course she won't pick up."

Beca sends her a text asking Chloe to please call as soon as she can. Beca ran her hands through her hair. How was she going to get to Tampa before Christmas morning? The dream had Tom showing up at Chloe's house on Christmas morning. She had to do whatever it took to get there in time to stop Chloe from getting back with Tom or else Beca was going to die by her own hand and Chloe was going to drink herself to death.

"I can't let that happen," Beca said with tears in her eyes. "I **won't** let that happen."

Beca ran up to her room and pulled out her laptop. She started looking for cheap air fares to Tampa. Her grandma had given her an emergency credit card to use that had a limit of $250. She searched through all the travel sites and found a flight for $175. It was only one way but hopefully she'd be driving back to Barden with chloe. It was the only flight she could get on such short notice and it left early on Christmas morning, so she booked it. She then pulled up the Uber app on her phone and reserved an Uber to take her to the airport. She asked for a 5:30 am pickup. She was all set and now all she had to do was wait.

Beca decided to take her mind off things by doing some Christmas shopping. She couldn't believe that she was actually at a mall with hundreds of other people doing the one thing she hated almost as much as Christmas - shopping. But, she knew that she didn't want to go to the Beales without presents for them. They always she treated her like family when she spent any time with them. She found herself smiling when she found some perfume she knew Aubrey liked.

"What is happening to me," Beca thought, her smile growing wider.

Beca's phone alarm went off at 5:00 am on Christmas morning. Beca groaned as she got up and got ready. Twenty minutes later she was standing outside waiting for the Uber when it pulled up. She jumped in and off they went. She managed to get to the airport and on her flight with no troubles. She called an Uber and arrived at the Beales' residence. She wasn't sure what her next step was going to be. She did the only thing she could think to do. She texted Aubrey.

 _Beca [9:37 am]: Aubrey I'm in Tampa outside Chloe's house and I need to talk to Chloe. But first I need to talk to you would you please come outside alone_

 _Aubrey [9:40 am]: What are you doing in Tampa?_

 _Beca [9:41 am]: I'll explain everything just please come outside_

 _Aubrey [9:46]: I'll be right out_

Beca put her phone away and waited until she saw Aubrey come out. She saw Aubrey look around and so she waved at her from around the side of the house. Aubrey walked over to her.

"What's going on, Beca?," Aubrey asked.

"Tom is going to ask Chloe to get back with him and if I don't stop her she will," Beca said. "He's going to hurt her and she's going to drink herself to death in just a couple of years. Part of it's because of me, but that's only if she gets back with Tom."

At this point Beca was crying. Aubrey was shocked to say the least. Beca Mitchell has never cried in front of her before.

"Beca," Aubrey said softly. "Where is all this coming from?"

"I love her," Beca said wiping her eyes and looking down at the ground. "I'm in love with Chloe."

"It's about time," Aubrey said. "We've all been waiting for you to realize it."

"Yeah," Beca said. "I just didn't think she'd ever feel the same way."

"Tell me why you think Tom is going to try and get Chloe to take him back," Aubrey said.

Beca knew she was taking a chance, but she needed Aubrey's help. Beca told her everything that happened in her dream. How her father left her and her mother killed herself. How she saw Aubrey and Chloe talking and Chloe saying she loved Beca. How there were two possible futures for Chloe - one with Tom and her drinking herself to death; the other with Beca and them having two kids and a great Christmas together.

"So if I don't get her to say no to Tom," Beca said tears falling from her eyes. "She is going to die and probably in your arms."

"How are you going to get her to turn Tom down?," Aubrey asked.

"I'm going to tell her I love her and want a chance with her," Beca said with a bravado she didn't know she had.

"I'm kind of freaked out about the whole dream thing," Aubrey said. "Especially since the conversation you heard between me and Chloe actually happened. But, whatever it is that made you come here, I'm all for. Tom is a dirtbag and Chloe deserves better. I'll help you. What do you want me to do?"

"Just help me convince her to not go back to Tom," Beca said.

Just then a car pulled up in front of the Beales house. Aubrey and Beca watched as Tom got out of the car. He strolled to the front door with a smirk on his face.

"I'm totally in," Aubrey whispered to Beca.

They watched as Tom rang the doorbell. They heard the door open and a surprised Chloe ask, "Tom? What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Chloe," they heard Tom say. "I heard you were home and wanted to see you. Can I talk to you?"

They watched as Tom was let into the house. Beca and Aubrey hurried to the front door and went inside.

"Beca!," Mrs. Beale squeals and rushes over to hug Beca. "It's so good to see you. Chloe didn't tell me you were coming."

"Hey, Mrs. B," Beca said. "I really need to talk to Chloe. Is she here?"

"She just went in the kitchen with Tom," Mrs. Beale says. "I don't know what she ever saw in that dirt bag."

Beca pulls away and rushes into the kitchen with Mrs. Beale and Aubrey right behind her.

"I want to apologize for everything," Tom was saying. "I was wondering if while you're here we can maybe get together and I can show you how I've changed. I'd like a second chance. I, I still love you, Chlo."

"Say no, Chloe," Beca said getting Chloe and Tom's attention. "Please say no."

"Beca?," Chloe said with a smile. "What are you doing here?"

"Could you leave us alone?," Tom said with a scowl. "We're in the middle of something important."

"No," Beca said looking at Tom and then turns to look at Chloe. "Chloe, I'm begging you to tell Tom no. He hasn't changed. He's still the same guy who hurt you three years ago. You once told me that he hurt you so bad that you could never forgive him. If you take him back, he's only going to hurt you again. Please, Chloe."

"Everyone deserves a second chance, Beca," Chloe said.

"Not everyone," says Mrs. Beale frowning at Tom.

Mr. Beale walks in and looks around the kitchen.

"What's going on?," he asked his wife.

"Sh," Mrs. Beale tells him, so he just stands there next to his wife.

"Give me a chance," Beca said. "Just a chance is all I'm asking for. And I promise that you'll never have to give me a second chance because I won't do anything to hurt you or make you regret giving me that chance. The chance to prove how much I love you."

"Oh, my God," Tom says with a laugh. "You love her? Chloe isn't a dyke like you."

"I prefer the term lesbian," Beca says. "Or gay."

"Whatever," Tom says with a snort. "You just need a man like me to show you how to have a good time. You wouldn't be gay when I got through with you."

"Does this kind of talk actually get you laid?," Beca says with laugh.

"I get plenty of women," Tom says with a smug look.

"Yeah?," Beca said sarcastically. "And how many of those "plenty" did you sleep with while you were dating Chloe? You're cheating is why she broke up with you in the first place, you douche."

"Beca," Chloe says. "Please stop. I can handle this. Could you please just go into the living room?"

"No, Chloe," Beca said. "I'm not leaving you alone with him."

"Beca, please?," Chloe said again.

"Chloe," Beca said looking at her. "Even if you don't want to give me a chance, please don't let him back in your life. You'll only get hurt and I couldn't stand to watch you go through that again."

"You heard her, Beca," Tom said with a smirk and a dismissive wave of his hand. "Run along now."

Beca gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. The next thing she knew she was being picked up and carried out of the kitchen. Mr. Beale didn't let her go until she was standing in the living room.

"Beca," Mr. Beale said sharply. "Let Chloe handle this on her own."

"But, he's going to-"

"Let her handle it," Mr. Beale repeats. "Aubrey and my wife are still in the kitchen so he won't try anything."

Beca just nods and stands there looking down at the ground.

"How dare you," Chloe said to Tom. "You do not get to speak to her like that."

"Oh, so what?," Tom says. "You're picking her over me? You barge into her shower and sing a naked duet and now you're a dyke, too?"

Beca's head shoots up when she hears Tom. Her face is beet red as she looks at Chloe's dad who also heard what Tom said. Mr. Beale just stands there with his eyebrow raised and an amused look on his face. In the kitchen, Aubrey's mouth dropped open in shock; Chloe never told her about this.

"Shut up!," Mrs. Beale yells at Tom. "You do not get to talk to, or about, my daughter or her friend like that. You need to leave."

"Why are you yelling at me?," Tom asks. "You should be yelling at Beca. She's trying to turn Chloe into a dyk- _lesbian_ like her. Is that what you want for your daughter?"

"My mother's right," Chloe said to Tom. "You need to leave."

"Come on, Chloe," Tom said taking Chloe by the arms to face him. "She'll never be anything. She's going to bring you down with her. You need to forget about her. Let me take you to lunch and we can talk, just the two of us."

"No, Tom," Chloe said trying to pull away from him. "I don't want to be with you. I was never going to give you another chance to cheat on me. I don't love you Tom. But, I do love Beca. So, yeah, I choose her."

Tom shoved Chloe away from him and she hit the table and fell to the floor. Hearing this both Beca and Mr. Beale came charging into the kitchen. Beca saw Chloe on the floor and Tom standing over her. She ran and threw a punch at Tom. Tom backhanded her and Beca fell back. Her head hit the floor and she was knocked out. Pandemonium broke out in the Beale kitchen.

Mr. Beale grabbed Tom by the throat and had him up against the wall. Mrs. Beale was trying to get him to let Tom go. Chloe and Aubrey ran over to Beca. Chloe grabbed Beca in her arms crying. Aubrey called 911 asking for police and an ambulance.

"Come on, Beca," Chloe cried. "Wake up. Please. I love you, okay? I love you, I choose you."

Aubrey ran over to Mr. Beale, whose face was red with anger. Tom was clawing at Mr. Beale's hands around his throat. Mrs. Beale was trying to calm her husband down and get him to release Tom. Aubrey positioned herself between Tom and Mr. Beale trying to break Mr. B's grip on Tom. She pushed and shoved at Mr. Beale until he seemed to snap out of it. He let go of Tom who fell to the floor gasping for air. There was a knock on the door and Aubrey ran to answer it. Two police officers came in and saw the confusion in the kitchen.

"Would someone mind telling us what's going on here?," one officer asked.

Aubrey, being the calmest of the group, told the officers what had happened. The EMTs came in as Aubrey was talking and immediately ran over to Beca.

"You say she hit her head?," one of the EMTs asked.

Chloe nodded as tears ran down her face. Mrs. Beale backed up Aubrey's version of events and the officers arrested Tom for assault. He yelled about how it was all Beca's fault because she was gay. She should be the one to be arrested for indecent behaviors. Mrs. Beale had to hold her husband back from attacking Tom again.

"We need to take her in to have her checked out," the EMT was telling Chloe. "She may have a concussion."

Chloe just nodded and her mother took her in her arms. Aubrey had already gathered their purses and jackets.

"We'll follow you," Mr. Beale said.

Beca was loaded into the ambulance and the Beales and Aubrey piled into the Beales' car and followed.

"Beca honey," a voice called out to Beca. "I need you to look at me. Open those beautiful stormy blue eyes for me. Can you do that?"

"Mom?," Beca said. "Is that you?"

"Yes, it is my baby girl," her mom said. "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts," Beca says.

"That was one of the bravest and stupidest things I've ever seen," her mother told her.

"I guess it wasn't one of my finest moments," Beca said. "Did I at least land a punch on Tom? Chloe probably hates me now. God, I messed up so bad. I hope I never wake up from this."

"Don't ever say that, Beca," her mom said. "Don't ever wish you were dead. I couldn't bear to watch that happen to you. You are going to wake up and you are going to live the future you saw with Chloe. Trust me on this. It is not your time yet. And, for the record, Chloe doesn't hate you. She held you and told you she loved you. She was crying and is very worried about you."

"Really?," Beca asked.

"Really," her mom said.

"You didn't answer my other question," Beca said with a smirk. "Did I at least hit Tom? I don't remember anything after seeing Chloe on the floor."

"Sadly, no," Beca's mom said with a smile. "But, Chloe's dad came close to choking him to death. If Aubrey hadn't intervened, he may just have killed him."

"Wow," Beca said. "How do you know who everyone is?"

"I'm always watching over you, Beca," her mom said. "I can only come to you in a sleeping or unconscious state. I know you hate Christmas because of what I did but I need you to know something. I wasn't really trying to kill myself. I was trying to just make the pain go away for a little while. I hadn't realized the number of pills I was taking. I'm so sorry for that."

"I was hurting, too," Beca yelled. "My dad left me and you were thinking only of yourself, of your pain? I needed you and you weren't there. I was only six years old and I needed my mother."

"I know, baby," her mom said. "I know. I messed up. With you, with the pills, with your father. But, I'm in a much better place now. I know that sounds cliche, but it's the truth. I am happy. I just want to see you be happy, too. Let Christmas back into your heart. Let Chloe show you what Christmas can be like. If anyone can do it, she can."

"She kinda already has," Beca said with a smile. "I actually went shopping, at a mall, on Christmas Eve. And, I was smiling when I found something for Aubrey that I knew she would like. It's Christmas day and I actually feel kind of. . .happy."

Beca's mom smiled.

"I still miss you, mom," Beca said. "I just wish we had had more time together. I love you."

"I love you, too," her mom said. "And, I am so proud of the woman you've become."

"So, you're okay with the whole gay thing?," Beca asked.

"I don't care who you love," her mom said. "As long as you're happy. And, I can see that Chloe makes you happy."

"Thanks, mom," Beca said with a shy smile. "Will I get to see you again?"

"I'll always be around," her mom said. "Watching over you. And, if you really need me, I'll be here, in your subconscious, for you talk to. Always. I promise."

"Thanks, mom," Beca said. "Can I, can I hug you?"

Her mom just smiled and pulled Beca into a hug. Beca had tears in her eyes as she hugged her mom back.

"It's time for you to go back, now," her mom said. "You need to wake up, Beca."

"Please?," another voice was saying. "Please wake up, Beca."

"Mom?," Beca mumbled.

"She's waking up," a voice she recognized as Chloe's said.

"Ow," Beca said and put her hand to her head.

She opened her eyes and blinked a couple of times.

"I'll get the doctor," Mr. Beale said and left the room.

"Welcome back," Aubrey said.

"You had us so worried, Beca," Chloe said holding Beca's hand.

"What happened?," Beca asked. "How long was I out?"

"Tom hit you and you fell and hit your head on the floor," Mrs. Beale said. "You've been out for a couple of hours. They ran some tests on you."

The doctor walked in with Mr. Beale.

"Hello, Ms. Mitchell," the doctor said. "I'm Dr. Jones. How are you feeling?"

The doctor used a small flashlight to check Beca's eyes.

"I have a headache," Beca said. "Other than that, I feel fine."

"Follow my finger please," Dr. Jones said.

Beca followed the doctors finger.

"Good," Dr. Jones said. "Now, the headache is to be expected. We ran some tests and everything came back fine. You don't have a concussion, but you will probably have a headache for a while. Just take some over the counter pain relievers and you'll feel better in a day or two. Do you have any questions?"

"When can I leave here?," Beca asked.

"I just need to sign the release and you can be on your way," Dr. Jones said.

"Thank you, doctor," Beca said as he left.

"Well, I could use a cup of coffee," Mr. Beale said.

"That sounds good," Mrs. Beale said. "I'll go with you."

"Me, too," Aubrey said. "Can we bring you two anything?"

"I'm good," Beca said.

Chloe just shook her head. Chloe's parents and Aubrey left the room. Chloe looked at Beca and Beca looked back at her.

"I'm sorry I ruined your Christmas," Beca said.

"You didn't ruin Christmas," Chloe said. "In fact, it's going on my list of most favorite Christmases ever. It took almost four years, but I finally got what I've been wishing for all that time."

"You did?," Beca asked. "And what's that?"

"You," Chloe said with a huge smile.

"Oh," Beca said and smiled. "So, does this mean that you're giving me a chance?"

Chloe moved so she was sitting on the bed and leaned in close to Beca.

"This means," Chloe said looking at Beca. "I want you to be my girlfriend."

"I don't know, Chlo," Beca said with a grin. "That's quite a commitment. It means you'll have to kiss me and hold my hand. It means you'll have to put up with my grumpiness and my brooding."

"Shut up and kiss me," Chloe said smiling.

"Yes, ma'am," Beca said and did just that.

Chloe pulled back from the kiss and looked at Beca.

"I love you," Beca said with a happy smile.

"I love you, too," Chloe said and kissed Beca again.

When she pulled back, Chloe laid herself down next to Beca and put her head on Beca's chest. Beca looked up and smiled. She saw her mom standing just outside her room. Her mom smiled and gave her a thumbs up. Beca smiled back. A nurse walked by and then her mom was gone. Beca sat up causing Chloe to sit up as well.

"Everything okay?," Chloe asked.

"Everything's perfect," Beca said with a smile.

Beca laid back down bringing Chloe with her. When the Beales and Aubrey came back, they found Beca holding Chloe as they both laid on the hospital bed. Chloe was laughing at something Beca was telling her, causing all three to smile.

"Looks like it's a Merry Christmas after all," Aubrey said.

Mr. and Mrs. Beale smiled and nodded their heads in agreement. Aubrey walked over to Beca's bed.

"So," she said looking down at Beca and Chloe. "About this naked shower singing thing. . . "

* * *

 **RJRMovieFan: Not sure if this is what you were looking for but I did hit on all the things you asked for. Hope you enjoyed it!**


	6. Chloe's Christmas Miracle

**Prompt from Lasleonas007: Chloe is a widow with a 3 or 4 year old child. She got married because she was a pregnant and her family turned their backs on her. Her husband dies and leaves her with no money and a child to raise. She meets Beca Mitchell and is invited to spend Christmas with her.**

* * *

It was Christmas Eve, and Chloe Beale held 3-year-old Sophie tighter to her as she made her way from her temp job out into the unusually cold L.A. evening.

"Mommy, I'm hungry," Sophie said quietly.

"I know, baby," Chloe said with tears in her eyes. "We're going to stop on the way home and get some groceries. Okay?"

Sophie just buried her head in Chloe's neck. Chloe started walking. The grocery store that was 2 blocks from their apartment had some frozen dinners on sale and Chloe had just enough money to buy enough to hold them over until her next paycheck. She knew she would have to use the majority of her paycheck towards paying the back rent, but she hoped that she could catch another sale. Chloe shivered and started walking.

"God, if you're up there," Chloe prayed to herself. "I sure could use one of those Christmas miracles right about now."

Meanwhile, a few blocks away, in the home of Beca Mitchell, reclusive grammy winning music producer, an older woman was frantically searching through the pantry.

"Oh, my," Mrs. Davis said opening the cupboards.

"What's wrong, Mrs. D?," Beca asked.

"We don't have any cranberry sauce," Mrs. Davis replied. "We can't serve turkey without cranberry sauce. We have to deliver all the food to the homeless shelter early in the morning so they can get everything cooked in time for dinner. No stores will be opened at that hour."

"I'll have Charles run me down to the market and get you some," Beca said. "How many cans do we need?"

"Ten for sure," Mrs. Davis said. "If they don't have ten cans, get what you can and we'll make do."

"You got it," Beca said.

Charles followed Beca out to the garage and he opened the car door for her. She got in and settled against the seat. Charles drove to the grocery store and he and Beca got out. Beca grabbed a shopping cart and they went in search of some cranberry sauce.

Chloe shivered as she entered the grocery store with Sophie on her hip. She was a beautiful woman but lack of sleep and too much stress was showing on her face. She sighed and put Sophie in the seat of the shopping cart. She went to the frozen food section and picked out six frozen dinners that were on sale for a dollar each. She then went to the dairy section and grabbed the smallest carton of milk the store carried.

Charles and Beca found the cranberry sauce and put the cans in the cart.

"Can you call Mrs. Davis and see if we need anything else while we're here?," Beca asked Charles.

"Sure thing," Charles said and pulled out his phone.

Beca wandered aimlessly around while Charles spoke to Mrs. Davis. Charles hung up and turned to Beca.

"She said we need some milk," Charles said. "Two gallons of whole milk."

Beca turned and pushed the cart toward the dairy section. She noticed a redheaded little girl in a shopping cart and smiled. The little girl smiled shyly back at her. Beca's breath caught in her throat when she caught sight of the woman pushing the cart the little girl was in. Beca thought she was really pretty.

"Beca?," Charles called her name.

"What?," Beca said. "I'm sorry. I guess I was daydreaming."

"It's okay," Charles said with a smile. "I got the milk. We can go."

Beca nodded and pushed the cart towards the checkout. There was only one open line and she found herself behind the redhead. She watched as the redhead pulled out some money and counted it several times. She saw the woman put her head in her hand and lean on the cart. The woman put her items on the belt and the cashier rang them up.

"That'll be $16.79," the cashier told her.

"No, that's wrong," Chloe said. "The dinners are on sale."

"Do you have the coupon?," the cashier said. "They're on sale with the coupon."

Chloe looked back at Beca apologetic smile, her face flushed with embarrassment. Beca gave her a small smile back.

"I, um, don't have enough," Chloe quietly told the cashier. "Could you take off four of the dinners please?"

The cashier sighed and started to remove the dinners when a $20.00 bill was handed to her. Chloe followed the arm that was holding the bill and saw Beca giving her another small smile.

"Use this," Beca said to the cashier.

"I can't ask you to do that," Chloe said her embarrassment clearly showing in her flushed cheeks.

"You're not asking," Beca said kindly. "I'm giving. Merry Christmas."

The cashier took the bill and bagged up the few items.

"Um, thank you," Chloe said to Beca with tears in her eyes.

"You're welcome," Beca said.

Beca watched as Chloe pushed her cart over to the door and buttoned up her daughter's jacket. Chloe lifted her daughter out of the cart and slowly went out the door. Beca couldn't help but wonder what her story was. The cashier rang up the cranberry sauce and milk, all the while blatantly flirting with Beca. Beca just ignored her and continued to wonder about the woman. Beca paid for their purchases and Charles carried the bags to the car. They were stopped at a stoplight when Beca saw Chloe slowly making her way up the street. She watched as she went into a rundown looking apartment building.

"Charles," Beca said as soon as they got through the light. "Stop the car by that building."

"Everything okay, Ms. Mitchell?," Charles asked as he pulled the car to the curb in front of the building Beca was pointing at.

"Yeah," Beca said getting out. "I'll be right back."

Beca hurried into the building she saw Chloe entering. She heard raised voices and followed the sound to find the redhead arguing with some balding overweight man. There were several boxes piled around them.

"You can't do this," Chloe was yelling at the man.

"I can and did," the man yelled back. "You haven't paid rent in three months. I have actual paying tenants moving in just after the first. I have to get the apartment ready for them, so you're out."

"It's Christmas Eve," Chloe said through her tears. "Where are we supposed to go?"

"You can come home with me," Beca suddenly blurted out.

Chloe and the man both whipped their heads around to look at Beca.

"What?," Chloe mumbled.

"Come home with me," Beca said again quietly. "My place is plenty big enough and I have plenty of food for you and your little girl. Spend Christmas with me and I'll help you figure something out. Okay?"

"I don't even know you," Chloe said wiping at her tears.

"I'm Beca Mitchell," Beca said. "I'm kind of well known so if you ask around you'll find out I'm not some creep. I'm 25 years old, single, and I hate for anyone to spend Christmas alone. Which is what will happen if you and your little girl don't come spend it with me. What's your name?"

"Chloe. Chloe Beale," she replied. "This is my daughter, Sophie."

"Pleasure to meet you, Chloe and Sophie," Beca said. "So how about it? Would you like to spend Christmas with me?"

The landlord gave up on the conversation and went back into his apartment and slammed the door causing Chloe and her daughter to jump. Chloe swallowed the lump in her throat and looked down at her daughter. Sophie looked back at her with tears in her eyes and Chloe let out a small sob. She was so tired. She couldn't believe that she was actually thinking about taking this stranger up on the offer to spend Christmas with her.

"Everything okay here, Ms. Mitchell?," Beca heard Charles ask from behind her.

"Everything's fine," Beca said turning toward him with a smile. "I just need some help carrying Chloe's boxes to the car.

"Of course," Charles said and grabbed two boxes and headed out of the building.

"What? No," Chloe said. "I can't let you do that."

"Too late," Beca said with a friendly smile. "He's already got the boxes in the car, so I guess you'll be spending Christmas with me."

Chloe held her daughter tighter and looked at Beca still a little unsure of what to do. She finally gave Beca a small nod.

"Thank you," Chloe said. "We'd love to spend Christmas with you."

"Great," Beca said as she saw Charles coming back towards her. "You take your daughter to the car and we'll get these last couple of boxes."

Charles grabbed another two boxes and Beca took the last one. She motioned for Chloe to follow Charles and she did. Beca brought up the rear and the went to the car. Charles held the door open so Chloe could get in. Beca climbed in as well. Charles situated the last of the boxes and got in.

"Where to, Ms. Mitchell?," Charles asked.

"Home," was all Beca said.

Charles started the car and drove home. Chloe's eyes widened as she looked at the house they pulled up to.

"You live here?," Chloe asked. "Alone?"

"Well, Charles and Mrs. Davis live here, too," Beca said as Charles parked in the garage. "I don't have any other family or friends, so it's just us."

Charles opened the door and Beca got out. Chloe helped Sophie out of the car before getting out herself.

"Hey, Sophie," Beca said. "Do you like macaroni and cheese?"

"Yes," Sophie said shyly holding onto her mother's pant leg.

Charles got the grocery bags from the back of the car and started toward the door to enter the house. Beca motioned for Chloe and Sophie to follow him. Chloe picked up Sophie and carried her. Beca walked beside Chloe looking at Sophie.

"I happen to love macaroni and cheese," Beca was telling Sophie. "And, my friend, Mrs. Davis makes the best mac and cheese anywhere."

Sophie's eyes were wide as she watched and listened to Beca talk. Beca closed the door once Chloe had come through.

"Mrs. Davis," Beca said. "This is Chloe Beale and her daughter Sophie. We would like three servings of your mac and cheese please."

"Of course," Mrs. Davis said. "You go wash up and I'll bring it to the table."

"Great!," Beca said. "Thanks, Mrs. D. Ladies, if you'll follow me."

Chloe gave Mrs. Davis a small smile and followed Beca. Beca showed them to the bathroom where they could get cleaned up for dinner.

"Can I take your jackets?," Beca asked. "There's clean towels in the cabinet under the sink. Just come to the table when you're ready."

Chloe took off her jacket and Sophie's. She handed them to Beca with a quiet "thank you." Beca took the jackets and left the mother and daughter alone. She placed the jackets on a coat rack near the kitchen and went to wash up at the sink. She saw Mrs. Davis plating up the mac and cheese.

"Do we still have some leftover chicken?," Beca asked and Mrs. Davis nodded. "Could we have some of that as well. I don't know when they last ate a full meal."

"Certainly," Mrs. Davis said and pulled out a container of leftovers."What's their story?"

"I don't know yet," Beca said. "We saw them at the grocery store and Chloe didn't have enough money to pay for her stuff, so I paid for it. It was just some frozen dinners. And then I saw them go into a rundown apartment building and I felt like I needed to follow them. Her landlord had her stuff packed up in a few boxes and kicked her out. I told them they should spend Christmas with me. And here we are."

Mrs. Davis had three plates of food ready and Beca helped carry them to the table. Chloe and Sophie came out stood somewhat awkwardly by the the door.

"Come on in," Beca said with a smile. "Have a seat."

Chloe led Sophie over to a chair and sat her down in it. She took the one next to it and sat. Beca sat at the end of the table next to Sofa.

"Would you like something to drink?," Mrs. Davis asked. "We have milk, juice, tea, or water."

"Um, I'd just like some water, please," Chloe said. "And a small glass of milk for Sophie."

"Water for me, as well, please," Beca told her. "Dig in before it gets cold."

Beca picked up her fork and started eating. Chloe handed Sophie her fork and Sophie sat up on her knees and started eating, practically shoveling the food into her mouth. Chloe did as well telling Sophie to slow down. Beca chuckled.

"I told you Mrs. Davis makes the best mac and cheese," Beca said to Sophie.

Sophie just nodded and kept eating. Mrs. Davis brought the drinks in and Chloe helped Sophie with her milk.

"Mrs. D," Beca said. "I think we're going to want seconds on the mac and cheese."

"I'll bring it right in," Mrs. Davis said with a smile.

Sophie finally slowed down and appeared to be full. Chloe wiped Sophie's mouth and helped her drink the rest of her milk. Sophie licked her lips and couldn't hold back a yawn.

"Let me show you where you'll sleep," Beca told Chloe. "Charles will bring your boxes up to your room."

Chloe picks up Sophie and follows Beca out of the dining room. She leads them upstairs and shows Chloe the guest room.

"You can both stay in here if you like," Beca said. "In case Sophie gets scared sleeping alone in a strange place. Charles will put your boxes in the room next door and you can unpack them later. There's an ensuite bathroom with everything you need. If not, just ask and we'll get it for you. If you need anything during the night, I'll be just across the hall."

"Why were you buying so many cans of cranberry sauce?," Chloe blurted out.

"Oh," Beca laughed. "We're putting together some baskets for the homeless shelter and we had everything except the cranberry sauce. Mrs. Davis and Charles have to deliver the food early tomorrow morning so Charles and I offered to get the cans tonight since nothing will be opened in the morning."

"Oh," was all Chloe said.

"If you wake up in the morning, and can't find me," Beca told her. "Mrs. Davis or Charles should be around so just ask them if you need anything. Word of advice - don't try to fix your own breakfast. Mrs. Davis will throw a fit. She feels it is her duty to feed whoever is in the house, which is usually just me, so when someone new is around, she goes all out. Also, you are welcome to stay here until you get back on your feet. I have a few connections and I'm sure we can find you a good job with a decent salary to live off of."

"Thank you," Chloe said with tears in her eyes. "I honestly don't know how I'm going to ever repay you for your kindness."

"No repayment is necessary," Beca tells her. "I am happy to help. It will be nice to have a friend here for Christmas. It won't feel so lonely."

"What about Charles and Mrs. Davis?," Chloe asks. "Don't they spend Christmas with you?"

"They do," Beca said. "Mrs. Davis is a widow and her son and his family live in Canada so she doesn't get to see them often. Charles is alone as well. He has no family so we are each other's family. They both live here and I always give the time off from Christmas Eve to the day after New Year's to do whatever they want. They usually stick around but I got them both a vacation package for Christmas so they'll be gone starting the day after Christmas until after the New Year. That's okay isn't it? That it will be just me, you and Sophie here after tomorrow."

"It's okay," Chloe said. "I know how to cook, so I will be your cook while Mrs. Davis is on vacation."

"Excellent," Beca said. "I can make breakfast but that's about it."

"Then it's settled," Chloe said and smiled her first real smile in a long time.

"I'll let you and Sophie get some sleep," Beca said. "Good night."

"Good night, Beca," Chloe said.

The next morning, Beca woke up early and found Charles and Mrs. Davis in the kitchen.

"Something smells good," Beca said.

"I'm making up a bunch of meals for you," Mrs. Davis said. "I want to make sure you eat while I'm gone."

"I'll be fine," Beca said. "Chloe said she can cook and has offered to cook while you are gone."

"So you're expecting her to stay for a while?," Charles asked.

"I told her she can stay until she can get back on her feet," Beca said. "I'm not sending her and Sophie out into the streets."

"I think our young boss is smitten," Mrs. Davis told Charles.

"I am not smitten," Beca said. "I am intrigued."

Charles let out a snort and said, "Same thing."

"I picked out a few gifts from the Children's Hospital bag and put them under the tree for Sophie," Mrs. Davis said. "Every child needs to have something to unwrap on Christmas morning."

"You're the best, Mrs. D," Beca said. "I wrapped a few gift cards and put them under the tree for Chloe. I figure she could use them to buy something for herself and Sophie. I'll take them shopping tomorrow."

"Hello?," Chloe called out.

Beca went to see what Chloe needed.

"Everything okay?," Beca asked seeing Chloe and Sophie coming down the stairs.

"I'm sorry," Chloe said. "I couldn't remember where the kitchen was.

"Oh," Beca said. "Right this way. I'll give you the grand tour after breakfast."

"Okay," Chloe said and followed Beca to the kitchen.

"Do I smell Christmas cookies?," Beca asked Sophie.

"Cookies?" Sophie said eyes lighting up.

"We have to eat breakfast first," Beca said. "Then we'll have cookies and hot chocolate while we open presents."

"We'll just to go back upstairs while you all open your gifts," Chloe said.

"Nonsense," Mrs. Davis said. "I saw a few things from Santa for you and Sophie under the tree."

"That's, I," Chloe let out a sob and ran out of the kitchen and they heard her running upstairs.

"Mrs. Davis would you mind getting Sophie some milk?," Beca asked.

Mrs. Davis nodded and waved Beca to go after Chloe. Beca races out of the kitchen and upstairs to Chloe's room. Beca lightly knocks on the door and opens it.

"Chloe?," Beca said. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Chloe said wiping her eyes.

"You don't sound fine," Beca said.

"I'm sorry," Chloe said with a sniffle. "I wasn't able to afford to get Sophie anything for Christmas. And, now, you're all just being so nice to us and telling me there are presents under the tree for us and Sophie's going to have a real Christmas. I'm just so overwhelmed by your kindness and everything that's happening"

The tears fell even harder. Beca didn't know what to do, so she just held Chloe and let her cry. When her crying subsided, Beca suggested she wash her face and come down to have some breakfast.

"Okay," Chloe said. "Could you wait for me? I don't want to get lost looking for the kitchen again."

Beca let out a little laugh and said, "Of course."

Beca and Chloe went back to the kitchen and Chloe apologized to Mrs. Davis for her outburst.

"There's nothing to apologize for," Mrs. Davis said. "Sophie and I have been getting to know each other. Beca, did you know that Sophie is three years old and her favorite color is blue."

"Really?," Beca said. "My favorite color is blue, too."

Everyone settled down and Mrs. Davis made a pancake breakfast. After everyone had their fill, Mrs. Davis made hot chocolate and put cookies on a plate. Charles carried the cookies and hot chocolate into the living room and set everything down on the coffee table. Everyone took a seat and Beca donned a Santa hat.

"Okay," Beca said rubbing her hands together. "Let's see what we have here."

She looks over the packages and picks up one and looks at the tag.

"This is for Sophie," Beca said. "From Santa."

Sophie's face lit up in surprise and wonder. Beca handed her the gift and Sophie looked at her mother.

"Go ahead, baby," Chloe told her with a smile. "Open it."

Chloe helped Sophie open her gift and Sophie gasped when she saw the pink and white yoga pants and a pink top to match.

"Look, mommy," Sophie said holding it up. "It's beautiful."

"Yes, it is," Chloe said with a smile and a tear in her eye.

The morning passed and everyone had opened their presents and eaten their cookies. Mrs. Davis was back in the kitchen preparing the turkey and all the trimmings for dinner. Chloe put Sophie down for a nap and came back to the kitchen to help Mrs. Davis. Beca was sitting at the kitchen counter drinking a cup of coffee.

"I don't mean to pry," Mrs. Davis said to Chloe. "But, how did you end up almost in the streets on Christmas Eve?"

"Just bad luck," Chloe said with sad smile. "I was laid off about 6 months ago and could only find temp jobs here and there. I wasn't making enough to pay the bills, but I was doing the best I could."

"What about Sophie's dad?," Beca asked. "Can't you get him to help out?"

"He, um, died a little over a year ago," Chloe said.

"I'm sorry," Beca said and everyone remained quiet for a few minutes. "How did you and Sohie's father meet?"

"In college," Chloe said. "Dylan and I met on the first day and we started dating. Then, the next year I found out I was pregnant with Sophie. We got married and we both dropped out. My parents told me I was a disappointment to them and that I could do so much better than Dylan. They just turned their backs on me. It was hard at first but we loved each other and we somehow kept our heads above water. Just barely, but we managed. When Sophie was born it became much harder. Honestly, things weren't good between me and Dylan when he died. He was staying out late every night, drinking. And I'm sure he was cheating on me. But, he was Sophie's father so I ignored everything and tried to make the best of a bad situation."

"What happened to him?," Beca asked. "If you don't mind my asking."

"He was drunk and got into a bar fight," Chloe said. "The other guy had a gun and shot him."

"I'm so sorry," Beca and Mrs. David both said.

"It's okay," Chloe said. "I don't mean to sound harsh but when he died, I really didn't love him anymore. I only stayed with him because of Sophie. Even before he died, he was pretty much an absentee father. Sophie deserves so much better. I just wish I could do better for her."

Beca sat staring into her coffee cup. There's got to be something she can do to help Chloe get back on her feet and give her and Sophie the life they deserve.

"I should probably go check on Sophie," Chloe said.

"I'll go," Beca said. "You stay and help Mrs. Davis. I'll take care of her."

"Are you sure?," Chloe asked.

"Let her go," Mrs. Davis said. "Sophie'll be fine."

Beca left and went up to check on Sophie. Sophie was just waking up when Beca walked in.

"Hey, Soph," Beca said. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"Yes," Sophie said smiling.

"Want to go downstairs and have a tea party with me?," Beca asked.

"Yes," Sophie squealed and jumped up and down.

Beca sat on the bed and told Sophie to hop on. Sophie grabbed Beca around the neck and wrapped her legs around her back. Beca grabbed hold of Sophie's legs and stood up.

"Let's see if Mrs. Davis will make us some tea for our tea party," Beca said.

"Okay," Sophie said.

Beca stopped in the living room to pick up the tea set that Sophie got from Santa Claus that morning. She then carried it and Sophie into the kitchen. Beca took Sophie over to Chloe and Chloe took her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Mrs. Davis," Beca said. "Could you make us some tea please? Princess Sophie and I must prepare for our tea party."

"Of course," Mrs. Davis said and took the teapot from Beca.

"Shall I set the table, m'lady?," Beca said bowing down in front of Sophie.

Sophie laughed and said, "Yes."

Chloe smiled at how well Beca and Sophie were getting along. Beca set up the teacups and saucers on the small kitchen table. She took the teapot from Mrs. Davis and placed it on the table.

"M'Lady," Beca said to Sophie. "Your chariot awaits."

Beca turned her back to Chloe and Chloe put Sophie on Beca's back. Beca trotted over to the table and let Sophie down. She held the chair for Sophie and sat in the other one. She poured the

"Is the tea to your liking, m'lady?," Beca asked in a fake British accent.

"It's good," Sophie said taking a sip.

Chloe smiled as she watched Sophie and Beca enjoying their tea party.

A year later, Chloe was standing in almost the same spot as she watched Sophie and Beca having their traditional Christmas tea party. She thought back to that Christmas Eve night when Beca invited them into her home for Christmas. Here it was, a year later, and they were still living in Beca's house and Beca was her girlfriend. She doesn't know how, or even when to be exact, but Beca got through the walls she had built up to protect herself and Sophie and she fell in love with Beca.

"Hey, you two," Chloe said. "Get cleaned up. It's almost dinner time."

Beca whispered something to Sophie and Sophie laughed and nodded her head. Sophie went over to the counter and climbed up on the stool.

"Mommy," Sophie asked. "Do you love Beca?"

"Yes, I do," Chloe responded. "Very much."

"If she asked you to marry her, would you?," Sophie asked and giggled.

Chloe smiled and looked at Sophie.

"What are you up to?," Chloe asked her.

"Answer the question," Chloe heard Beca say behind her.

Chloe turned to look at Beca and saw her down on one knee, holding out a diamond ring. Chloe's hand went to her mouth and she let out a small gasp.

"So," Beca said. "If I asked you to marry me, would you?"

Tears were falling down Chloe's face as she nodded and squeaked out a yes.

Beca jumped up and grabbed Chloe, kissing her. She then placed the ring on Chloe's finger and kissed her again.

"I love you," Beca said.

"I love you, too," Chloe said through her tears. "You truly are my Christmas miracle, Beca Mitchell."


	7. A Girlfriend for Christmas?

**Guest prompt: Beca needs Chloe to be her fake girlfriend for Christmas. Beca's mom wants to set her up with another girl at the Christmas Party. So Beca begs Chloe to come to the party.**

 **I did this a bit differently than most fake girlfriend stories. I hope you like it.**

* * *

"Okay, Beca," Beca says softly to herself. "You can do this. You're friends, right? Friends help each other out."

Beca held the box of chocolates and flowers in her right hand. She raised her hand to knock and stopped herself. Her hand was sweaty so she brought her hand down and wiped it along her jeans. She took a deep breath and knocked before she lost her nerve.

"Beca?," Aubrey said when she saw Beca standing there. "Can I help you?"

"Um, is Chloe here?," Beca asked nervously.

"Don't tell me you finally decided to ask Chloe out?," Aubrey said. "The flowers are a nice touch."

"What?," Beca asked confused.

"Never mind," Aubrey said letting Beca in. "'Have a seat. Chloe's in her room. I'll get her for you."

Aubrey knocks and enters Chloe's room.

"Beca's here," Aubrey said. "She's got candy and flowers."

"Really?," Chloe asked excitedly.

"Don't get your hopes up," Aubrey said. "I'd wait to hear what she had to say before I jump to any conclusions."

"But this is a good sign, right?," Chloe said. "I mean, why else would she bring flowers and candy?"

"Well, you won't know if you don't go out and see," Aubrey said as she walked out the door.

Chloe jumped up and checked herself in the mirror. She straightened her shirt and went out to the living room.

"Hey, Becs," Chloe said and Beca jumped up.

"These are for you," Beca said holding out the candy and flowers.

"Whatever are these for?," Chloe said with a sly smile. "It's not my birthday."

"I came to ask you," Beca said. "Um, if, um."

"Spit it out already Mitchell," Aubrey said. "She's not getting any younger."

"Brey!," Chloe said glaring at Aubrey. "Go ahead, Beca."

"So, um, okay," Beca sighs and takes a deep breath. "Willyoubemyfakegirlfriendandgotomymom'sChristmaspartywithme?"

"All I got out of that," Chloe said looking a bit dejected. "Was _'fake_ girlfriend' and 'Christmas party'. Care to be clearer in what you're asking?"

"Can you pretend to be my girlfriend?," Beca said. "And go to my mom's Christmas party with me?"

"Why do you need a fake girlfriend?," Chloe asked.

"My mom wants to set me up with some girl," Beca said nervously. "So, I told her I had a girlfriend. Now she wants me to bring her so she can meet her. If I don't, she'll know I was lying and I'll be stuck having to entertain some stranger."

"Chloe, can I see you in the kitchen for a moment?," Aubrey asked.

"What?," Chloe said and saw the look on Aubrey's face. "Oh, right. Excuse me a minute, Beca."

"Sure," Beca said.

Chloe followed Aubrey into the kitchen.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Aubrey said as soon as she was sure Beca couldn't hear. "Especially with the feelings you have for Beca."

"I know," Chloe said. "But, Beca looks scared to death to have her mother set her up."

"She's a big girl," Aubrey said. "Let her figure it out. It's her lie. You don't need to be a part of it."

"You're right," Chloe said. "I just can't help thinking this might be my shot at letting her know how I feel."

"Be careful," Aubrey said. "What if you tell her and she could completely shuts you out?"

Chloe just sighs. She knows what Aubrey is saying is true. If she does this, she may be setting herself up to get hurt.

"I'm going to tell her I'll think about it," Chloe said finally. "I'm going to mess with her a little bit, too. No matter what I say, don't say anything."

Aubrey agreed and they went back out to the living room. Aubrey sat at her desk and Chloe went over to sit next to Beca on the sofa.

"Have you decided?," Beca asked.

"I need some time to think about it," Chloe said. "I'll let you know."

"Um, okay," Beca said.

"Tell me one thing, though," Chloe said. "Why did you ask me to be your fake girlfriend? You could have asked any of the Bellas."

"Well, you and Lily are the only ones not going home for Christmas," Beca said. "You were the least scary option."

"Gee, thanks," Chloe says sarcastically.

"Way to make a girl feel special, Beca," Aubrey said.

"I didn't mean it like that," Beca said looking at Chloe. "I'm just more comfortable around you. And, we'll probably have to hold hands and hug and stuff, and you're the only I would feel comfortable letting do that."

"It's kind of short notice," Chloe said. "Christmas is just a little over a week away. What's in it for me?"

"You get to spend Christmas in Savannah," Beca said.

"What else?," Chloe asked.

"You get to spend Christmas in Savannah," Beca said. "With me?"

Chloe just looked at her. Aubrey watched as Beca squirmed a little bit.

"Fine," Beca said. "What do you want?"

Chloe smiled and Beca knew she was in trouble.

"I want you to be nice to Aubrey for the next week," Chloe said. "If you can do that, I'll go to the party with you as your 'girlfriend'. If you can't, you're on your own."

"Well played, Chlo," Aubrey said.

Chloe gave her a sly wink. Aubrey smiled and waited to hear what Beca had to say.

"Um, really?," Beca said. "You can ask for anything, and you ask me to do that?"

"You're asking me to do a big favor for you," Chloe said moving closer to Beca and leaning into her. "Consider this you doing me a big favor. Treat my best friend nicely for the next week, and you get _all this._ "

Chloe waves her hand up and down her body to emphasize what she meant by ' _all this_ '.

"I hate you," Beca said blushing.

"You're so easy, Mitchell," Chloe said moving away from Beca.

Chloe and Aubrey both started laughing at how flustered Beca got.

"I mean it," Beca said. "I really do hate you right now."

"Oh no," Chloe said putting her hand to her mouth. "Are we having our first fight?"

"Just kill me now," Beca said.

"Oh, stop, you little baby," Chloe said. "I'll do it. I'll be your fake girlfriend. But, you owe me big."

"Thank you," Beca said and got up. "We'll talk more later. I have to go 'cause I have a shift at the station."

"See you later," Chloe said as Beca left.

Aubrey looked over at Chloe and gave her a mischievous grin.

"Wanna have some more fun with her?," Aubrey asked.

"What do you have in mind?," Chloe said.

"Start acting like your her girlfriend now," Aubrey said. "Tell her it would make everything more comfortable for when you get around her mom."

"That sounds kind of mean," Chloe said. "But, it is fun to make her squirm. Okay, I'll do it."

The next day at Bellas practice, Beca walked in with Fat Amy. Chloe sees her and squeals. She runs over to Beca and kisses her on the cheek before grabbing her in a hug.

"Oh, baby," Chloe says loudly. "I've missed you."

All the Bellas mouths drop open. Aubrey puts her hand to her mouth to hide her smile.

Beca pushes Chloe away from her and hisses, "Chloe, what are you doing?"

"Consider this week the dress rehearsal," Chloe whispers not letting go of Beca. "Before the actual performance. If we act like girlfriends now, it won't be so awkward when we're around your mom."

"That actually makes sense," Beca said. "Okay. Just tone it down a bit, okay?"

"I don't know if I can, _baby_ ," Chloe said loudly. "My girlfriend is so hot."

"Oh, God," Beca groans and blushes.

"When did this happen?," Stacie asks.

"Yesterday," Chloe says turning to face the group. "She declared her undying love for me and I just couldn't resist her."

"Pay up, bitches," Amy yelled and fist pumped.

"Okay, everyone," Aubrey said clapping her hands to get their attention. "Let's get started. I want 10 laps now. Let's go."

The girls all groaned and Chloe dragged Beca over to start running laps. The girls finish running their laps and Aubrey starts them on choreography. Chloe would hug Beca or kiss her on the cheek and kept calling her 'baby'. Beca was clearly uncomfortable and Aubrey was loving it.

"I'm sorry I can't hang out with you, babe," Chloe told Beca with a pout. "I have a paper I need to finish. It's due in two days."

Chloe walked over to Beca and grabbed her in a hug.

"I'll miss you," Chloe said and kissed her on the cheek. "Call me later."

Chloe then smiled and left Beca standing there. Stacie and Amy each grabbed one of Beca's arms and dragged her out of the Auditorium. They held onto her until the reached the nearby diner and plopped her down in a seat.

"What the hell, Beca?," Stacie said. "You told Chloe how you feel about her and you didn't share that news with us."

"What?," Beca said. "No. It's not like that."

"Really?," Amy said. "Cause it sure looked like it was 'like that'."

"We're just, um, pretending," Beca said. "I needed someone to pretend to be my girlfriend so my mom would stop trying to set me up. She has the worst taste when it comes to fixing me up. So Chloe agreed to help me out. She's only doing stuff now like a dress rehearsal so it will seem more natural in front of my mom."

"So, you didn't tell her you liked her?," Stacie asked.

"Keep your voice down," Beca said looking around. "No, I didn't tell her."

"You can use this opportunity to tell her," Amy said. "Or, maybe she's just doing this to mess with you. She does like to make you squirm. Why not turn the tables on her?"

"What do you mean?," Beca asked.

"Give as good as you get," Stacie said. "When she calls you baby, call her some cutesie name, like Chlo-bear, or sweetie. When you see her, hug her first. That sort of thing."

"Just flirt with her," Amy said. "She won't be expecting it."

"After we eat, we'll go back to my dorm," Stacie said. "I'll show you how to flirt with her so she can't resist you. And, I bet before you go to your mom's for Christmas, she really will be your girlfriend."

"How sure are you that she likes me like that, too?," Beca asked still not convinced.

"One hundred percent sure," Stacie said. "Come on, Beca. You've got nothing to lose."

"Except Chloe's friendship," Beca said.

"We're talking about Chloe freakin' Beale," Amy said. "If she doesn't feel the same way, she'll let you down easy and you'll still be friends. I guarantee it."

"Okay," Beca said. "I really do like her. A lot."

"It's settled then," Stacie said.

After they ate, the three went to Stacie's dorm where she spent the rest of the afternoon trying to teach Beca how to flirt. Beca was all kinds of awkward. Amy was providing a running commentary of how bad Beca was at flirting. They had been at it for so long that Amy called for a dinner break and ordered pizza. It was a few hours later when Stacie decided to end it. Beca wasn't as awkward as when they first started, but she sill had a ways to go.

"Beca," Stacie said. "I can't do any more for you. You're on your own now. Good luck."

"Thanks anyway, Stacie," Beca said. "I'll practice in my room and hopefully won't embarrass myself too much."

The next day at Bellas practice, Beca, Stacie, and Amy were huddled together.

"Face it guys," Beca said as she backed away from the two Bellas. "It's just not going happen."

She took another step back and fell over her bag. She landed on her back and when she looked up there was Chloe and Aubrey standing over her. Chloe looked down at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Falling for me again, Becs?," Chloe said and grinned.

"Oh, fuck me," Beca said.

"That's more of a fourth of fifth date thing, Becs," Chloe said with wink as she continued to look down at Beca.

Beca laid there for a minute and then smirked as she stood up.

"Well, then I guess we need to have our first date," Beca said looking at Chloe. "So we can get to that fourth or fifth one. So, you and me, dinner tonight. Pick you up at 6:00 and wear something casual."

Chloe's jaw dropped. Beca smirked again and winked at her. She turned and walked over to sit down next to Stacie. Chloe turned to Aubrey.

"Did Beca just become 'little miss confidence'?," Chloe whispered to Aubrey.

"I think she did," Aubrey said trying to hide her smile.

"Oh, and Chlo?," Beca called out getting the redhead's attention. "I suggest you wear your light blue skinny jeans for our date. They really show off your, shall we say, assets."

Chloe actually blushed and Aubrey had to cough to cover a laugh. Stacie was smiling proudly. Beca had actually flustered Chloe Beale.

Practice found Beca, with a new found confidence, continually flustering Chloe. On a few occasions, Chloe messed up on choreography.

"Chloe, seriously," Aubrey said. "You created these steps. Why are you having so much trouble?"

"I don't know," Chloe said quietly. "I'm just a little off my game today."

"I'll help you," Beca said.

"Th- that's okay, Beca," Chloe said quickly. "I got this."

"Beca," Aubrey said. "A word please."

Beca followed Aubrey away from the group.

"I know what you're going to say," Beca said before Aubrey could speak. "And, I'm sorry. I know Chloe was just messing with me yesterday and I thought it would be fun to mess with her today. The thing is, I really like Chloe and I want her to see me as something more than a friend. I was serious about the date tonight. I hope you're okay with it and I'd like your blessing."

"Wow," Aubrey said. "That's the most I've heard you say at one time, ever."

"So, would you be okay with it?," Beca asked. "If, you know, me and Chloe start dating?"

"Actually, I am okay with it," Aubrey said. "I think you two are good for each other. But, could you dial it back a bit? I really need to get Chloe back on track and get this choreography nailed down."

"Okay, thank you." Beca said. "And, I'm sorry. I'll quit bugging Chloe if you make sure she actually keeps our date tonight."

"Deal," Aubrey said.

Beca and Aubrey walk back over to the group and everyone gets into position. Chloe glances back at Beca.

"You got this," Beca mouths to Chloe causing Chloe to smile.

They get through the entire routine a couple of times when Aubrey calls an end to practice.

"Okay, that's it," Aubrey said. "Great job everyone. Beca, you did really well today. I hope you keep it up."

Beca blushed slightly and gave Aubrey a small smile. Everyone gathered their stuff and was heading out the door.

"Don't forget our date, Chloe," Beca called back to the redhead. "I'll see you at 6:00."

Before Chloe could say anything, Beca was out the door. Chloe smiled and gathered her stuff. She walked out with Aubrey. When they got to their apartment, Chloe went into her room. Aubrey thought she was getting ready for her date. Around 5:45 Chloe came out of her room wearing sweat pants and a tank top, her hair up in a bun.

"I know Beca said dress casual," Aubrey said looking her up and down. "But don't you think that's a little too casual."

"She wasn't serious," Chloe said. "Do you want to order Chinese or pizza?"

"Chlo," Aubrey said. "She was serious. She really wants to take you out. On an actual date."

"Brey," Chloe said. "She was just messing around. Getting me back for messing with her."

"No she wasn't," Aubrey said emphatically, hoping Chloe was listening. "She asked me if I was okay with you two dating. Trust me, she's serious."

Aubrey was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Oh, my God," Chloe said panicked. "Stall her. I'll be out in like, 10 minutes."

"Hurry," Aubrey said and Chloe ran to her room.

Aubrey opened the door and ushered Beca in. Beca walked in and sat on the sofa.

"Chloe's running a little behind," Aubrey said. "I'll let her know you're here."

Aubrey went to Chloe's room and was back in less than a minute.

"She'll be out in a few minutes," Aubrey told Beca.

"Thanks," Beca said sitting on the sofa. "Hey, Aubrey, Chloe likes country music right?"

"Yeah," Aubrey said.

"Good," Beca said as if talking to herself.

"What do you have planned?," Aubrey asked.

"What?," Beca said looking up. "Oh, there's a country Christmas show at the Atlanta Coliseum. I won these tickets like a month or so ago and forgot all about them. The concert is tonight so I thought I'd take her."

"She'll love it," Aubrey said with a smile.

Just then Chloe came out wearing her light blue skinny jeans and a striped short sleeved v-neck sweater.

"Sorry, I'm running late," Chloe said as soon as she saw Beca.

"It's okay," Beca said. "You're definitely worth the wait."

Chloe's cheeks turned a light pink. Aubrey just smiled at her best friend and shook her head.

"Shall we go?," Beca asked.

"We shall," Chloe said grabbing her jacket and keys. "Don't wait up, Brey."

Beca bought Chloe a light snack at the concert since she planned to take her somewhere to eat after. The concert was fun and Chloe had a great time. After it was over they decided to go to their favorite diner near Barden since it was one of the few places that stayed open late. They were seated in a booth and the waitress came for their orders. The waitress left and they sat there just looking around.

"I'm having a really great time," Chloe said. "The concert was really good."

"I'm glad you liked it," Beca said. "Do you think you might want to go out again? With me?"

"I'd love to," Chloe said with a smile.

Beca smiled back at her.

"I have a confession to make," Beca said. "I've kind of had a crush on you since the first time I saw you. I've wanted to tell you but I was afraid it would screw up our friendship."

"Really?," Chloe said. "I have a confession, too. I thought you were joking about the date tonight. Aubrey told me you asked for her blessing about us two dating. When you knocked on the door I had to ask her to stall you because I was in sweats."

Beca laughed. "I can see where you might have thought that," Beca said. "I'm just glad you decided to come with me."

"How could I not?," Chloe said. "I've kind of had a crush on you since I heard you singing in the shower."

"Why didn't you say anything?," Beca asked.

Chloe was kept from answering by the waitress putting their food in front of them. They both thanked her and she left.

"I didn't think you'd feel the same way," Chloe answered. "And I didn't want to scare you off."

"I have another confession to make," Beca said blushing slightly. "I don't have a crush on you anymore. I actually like you, like you. As in, I hope you'll become my girlfriend and we won't have to fake it in front of my mother, like you."

Chloe's mouth gaped open and then she squealed.

"I definitely want to be your real girlfriend," Chloe said with a smile. "I really like you, too, Beca."

Beca smiled and picked up a French fry and bit into it. After they ate, Beca drove Chloe back to her apartment. She parked and ran around to open the door for Chloe. Chloe gave her a kiss on the cheek and took her hand.

"Walk me to my door?," Chloe asked.

"Most definitely," Beca said.

They were outside Chloe's door just staring at each other.

"It's kind of late," Chloe said. "Do you want to spend the night?"

"Um," Beca said.

"Not for that reason," Chloe said with a laugh. "I was serious about the fourth or fifth date rule."

"I wasn't thinking that," Beca said blushing slightly. "I was wondering what you were doing for New Year's Eve. Sheila's office is having a big party at the Ramada downtown and invited me and a guest to go. I though maybe you'd like to be my date."

"I'd love to," Chloe said. "Would you like to have lunch with me tomorrow? We could get our second date out of the way before we got to your mom's for Christmas."

"I'd love to," Beca said. "Hmm, that means we need to go on at least two or three more dates before New Year's Eve."

"Why?," Chloe asked.

"Because that would mean New Year's Eve," Beca said stepping closer to Chloe. "Would be our fourth or fifth date."

Beca put her hands on Chloe's hips and pulled her into a kiss. Chloe smiled into the kiss and wrapped her arms around Beca's back, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss. They finally pulled out of the kiss and Chloe leaned her forehead against Beca's.

"Kiss me like that again," Chloe said. "I might just have to forget about my own dating rule."

"Well, rules are made to be broken," Beca said just before smashing into Chloe's lips again.

* * *

 **Like I said, at the beginning. Not your usual fake girlfriend fic. Until tomorrow.**


	8. Who Knows Beca Better?

**Guest prompt: Another secret Santa where Chloe gets Beca a gift but she has to compete with Jesse to see who gets Beca the better gift, aka who gets Beca's heart.**

 **Not really a secret Santa story but as close as I could get it to make it work.**

* * *

"Thank you so much," Chloe gushed. "Beca is going to be so excited about this."

Chloe rushes out to her car and gets in. She squeals because she just scored the best gift ever for her best friend/longtime crush, Beca Effin' Mitchell. She starts the car and makes the hour long drive with a huge smile on her face, singing along to every song that came on the radio.

Chloe parks her car in front of the Bellas house and turns it off. She sits there for a minute and looks out the window and her smile falters. There's Beca with Jesse. She watches as Beca gives Jesse a hug and goes into the house. Jesse is grinning that stupid boyish grin that everyone thinks is so endearing. Yuck is all Chloe can think. Chloe sits there lost in her thoughts when a knock on her window startles her. She turns to see Jesse grinning at her.

"Sorry," Jesse says. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Chloe gathers her stuff from the passenger seat as Jesse opens the door for her.

"Such a gentleman," Chloe says with a fake smile.

Chloe gets out of the car and Jesse closes the door.

"I'm glad I caught you," Jesse said. "I wanted to talk about Beca's Christmas present."

"What about it?," Chloe asked.

"I know you'll be getting her a gift," Jesse said. "Being her best friend and all. I just wanted to tell you to not even try to outdo my gift. She's going to be blown away by it."

"You know she doesn't like movies, right?," Chloe asked with a frown.

"How'd you know that I got-," Jesse said. "Never mind. That's just something she says. She'll love it."

"No, Jesse, she won't," Chloe said starting to walk toward the house.

"Yes, she will," Jesse said frowning. "I know, Beca. And I know she'll love that I didn't get her just one movie. I got her the collector's set. It cost quite a bit, but she's worth it."

"I hate to say it," Chloe said. "But, you wasted your money. Beca won't care how much you spent on the gift."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Jesse said getting a little angry.

"Okay, whatever," Chloe said as she reached the front door and stood on the porch facing Jesse.

"You think you know her better than I do?," Jesse said.

"Yeah, I do," Chloe said. "I know her well enough to know not to buy her a movie she'll never willingly watch."

"So, you think whatever you get her will be better than my gift for her?," Jesse asked.

"I already have her gift," Chloe said smugly. "And I know it's better than your gift, because it's not a movie."

"We'll let the gifts speak for themselves," Jesse said. "We'll let Beca decide whose gift is better."

"No," Chloe said. "I'm not going to make her choose between us. Our gifts."

"Why?," Jesse asked. "Afraid I'm right."

"You really want to do this?," Chloe said. "Okay, fine. But just so you know, I like Beca. A lot. I've never made a move or said anything because she was with you. But, now, the gloves come off. I'm not only going to give her the better gift, one that she'll actually like, but I'm going to tell her how I feel about her and make her my girlfriend as well."

Jesse stood there with his mouth hanging open, dumbfounded.

"I always knew you had a thing for her," Jesse said. "She kept telling me it was all in my mind. That you were just good friends. You won't win because she loves me. But it'll be fun watching you crash and burn."

"We'll see about that," Chloe said and went inside, slamming the door in Jesse's face.

Chloe hurried upstairs and into her room. She was fuming. How could she let Jesse get to her like that.

"He's going to tell Beca what I said," Chloe thought as she paced back and forth. "And then he'll win before I even get a chance to tell her how I feel about her. Shit!"

Chloe raced out of her room and went to Beca's. She knocked on the door and heard Beca tell her to come in. Beca was in her usual spot at her desk with her headphones around her neck.

"Hey, Beca," Chloe said as she sat on Beca's bed.

"Hey, Chlo," Beca said looking at her. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Chloe said playing with the pillow. "Everything's fine."

"Want to try that again?," Beca said. "Only this time, try telling me the truth. Hey, Chlo. Everything okay?"

"I just kind of had an argument with Jesse," Chloe said. "I didn't mean to, but he just kept pushing my buttons and it's really stupid."

"Trust me, you don't have to explain it to me," Beca said. "I know exactly how he is."

"I'm sorry," Chloe said with a tear in her eye. "He'll probably tell you all about it and I'm sure I won't come off looking too good."

"Don't worry about it," Beca said. "We haven't really been talking a lot lately. Things have been somewhat strained between us."

"All the more reason why he'll tell you about it," Chloe said. "It'll make him look good, and me look bad."

Chloe got up and started walking toward the door.

"I'll see you later," she said and went back to her room.

Beca thought about following Chloe, but decided she might need some time to herself. God knows, she does after dealing with Jesse.

Chloe was sitting in her room, debating on telling Beca what exactly had been said between her and Jesse. If she tells her, it may ruin their friendship. But, if Jesse tells her, it may ruin their friendship. Chloe's phone rang and she checked the caller ID.

"Hey, Brey," she said answering the call.

"Hey, Chlo," Aubrey said. "Are you okay? You don't sound like yourself."

"I messed up," Chloe said.

"What happened?," Aubrey asked. "No, don't say anything. Tell me when I get there."

"You're coming here?," Chloe said perking up.

"I should be there soon," Aubrey said. "I wanted to surprise you."

"I can't wait to see you," Chloe said.

"We'll talk when I get there," Aubrey said.

"Thank you," Chloe said and ended the call.

Jesse had gone back to his dorm. He was angry that he let Chloe get to him like that. He always knew that she and Beca had a different kind of friendship. He also felt like Chloe wanted them to be something more than friends, and she had just confirmed his suspicions. He thought about telling Beca, guaranteeing that he would win her heart. Or, he could tell Beca and he'd find out she felt the same way about Chloe.

He knows Beca will love the Christmas gift he got her. Things had been a little tense between them lately but that's because she had so much going on right now. Once she got into a more set routine, things would be good between them again. He wasn't going to tell Beca about his conversation with Chloe. He knew that Chloe would be devastated when Beca chose him and his gift over her, so he decided to be the bigger person and let it go.

It was the day of the Bellas/Trebles Christmas Celebration and the girls were busy getting things ready because it was being held at the Bellas House this year. Chloe and Stacie were in the kitchen making hors d'ouevres, CR and Denise were moving the furniture around to provide optimum dancing room, Jessica and Ashley had made a snack and liquor run, and others were setting everything up. Beca wasn't home yet from her DJ shift at the radio station. Amy was entertaining the girls by doing some kind of 'Celtic Christmas Dance.' She pulled off one wild step and fell into the tree, knocking it over and scattering presents everywhere. Everyone came running to see what had happened. After the initial shock of seeing the tree laying on its side and gifts scattered around the room, the girls all pitched in to set things right. Chloe helped Stacie right the three and put the ornaments back on.

"I smell something burning," CR said.

"Oh, shoot, the meatballs," Chloe yelled as she ran into the kitchen.

"Hey, some of the tags and cards came off the gifts," Denise said as she helped collect them all.

"We'll just have to put the ones we know for sure, like our own, on," CR said. "We'll let everyone else sort theirs out later."

"Okay," Denise said and everyone did the best they could.

There were a couple no one could figure out so they just stuck the cards on top of whatever present was closest and let them get sorted out later. They continued what they were doing and then it was time to get ready. Chloe went to her room and showered. She changed into her white skinny jeans with her favorite 'ugly Christmas sweater' since that was the theme of their party.

Everyone was ready and helping to bring out the food and get the drinks started when the doorbell rang.

"The Trebles are here," Amy shouted and ran to answer the door.

The party was in full swing and it was time to open presents. Amy was designated gift distributor and everyone settled around to get and open their gifts. Chloe looked over at Jesse sitting next to Beca. He had his arm around her waist and gave Chloe a smug smile. Chloe just rolled her eyes at him.

"I am actually beginning to hate Jesse," Chloe whispered to Aubrey.

"Don't worry," Aubrey said. "Your gift for Beca is going to blow her away. He won't know what hit him when she gushes over it in front of everyone."

"I hope you're right," Chloe said. "I need a drink. Want to come with me?"

"Sure," Aubrey said and they made their way through the group and went into the kitchen.

"Okay," Amy said grabbing a gift. "This one is for Beca."

Beca took it and opened the card attached.

"It's from Jesse," Beca said and started opening the present.

Jesse looked at the gift with furrowed brows. That's not his present.

"Oh, my God, Jesse," Beca screamed. "This is amazing. How did you get these."

Beca was wrapping her arms around Jesse and giving him a very passionate kiss when Chloe and Aubrey walked back into the living room. Chloe's heart dropped and she stood frozen in the doorway. Beca pulled back from the kiss and looked back down at her gift.

"I can't believe you got me these," Beca said with a tear in her eye.

"Care to share what it is with the rest of the class," CR said.

Chloe looked at the gift and then at Jesse. He looked back at her with a sheepish smile on his face.

"It's two tickets to the 'Jingle Ball'," Beca said. "And, two backstage passes to meet David Guetta."

Beca turned and grabbed Jesse's face and kissed him again. Chloe looked devastated and turned and ran up the stairs to her room. Aubrey shook her head at Jesse and ran after Chloe. Beca looked up when she heard heard someone stomping up the stairs.

"Was that Chloe?," Beca asked.

Aubrey went into Chloe's room and found the redhead sitting on her bed, hugging her pillow to her chest as tears fell down her face.

"Why didn't you say something?," Aubrey said. "Tell Beca that it was actually from you and not Jesse."

"Because she looked so happy that it was from him," Chloe murmured.

Aubrey didn't say anything. She just put her arm around her best friend and held her. Chloe put her head on Aubrey's shoulder and wiped away her tears. She felt as if she lost Beca without even having gotten her yet.

Downstairs Beca keeps looking at the stairs, checking to see if Chloe was coming back down. Jesse sat next to her and saw that she kept checking the stairs. He was feeling guilty. He knew that Chloe's gift was a much better choice for Beca than his and he wanted Beca for his own so badly, so he kept his mouth shut. The gift opening continued around them when Amy called out Beca's name again. Beca took the package and read the card.

"It's from Chloe," Beca said. "I'm going to wait for her to come back before I open it."

"Nope," Amy said. "Everyone knows the rule. If you are handed a present you must open it, whether the person who gave it to your is here or not. So, you have to open it."

"Give someone else a gift, Amy," Jesse said. "I'll go get Chloe and we can come back to Beca."

"Okay," Amy said. "We can bend the rules slightly for our Captain."

Jesse told Beca he'd be right back and ran upstairs. He knocked gently on Chloe's door and Aubrey answered.

"Um, can I speak to Chloe?," Jesse asked.

"I don't think she wants-"

"What do you want, Jesse?," Chloe asked pulling the door open wider. "Come to gloat?"

"No," Jesse said not looking at her. "Um, Beca wants you down there while she opens her other presents."

"Why didn't you say anything?," Chloe asked with tears in her eyes. "You knew that was my gift for her. Why did you let her think it was from you?"

Jesse swallowed and continued to look down at the floor.

"Because I knew you had won," Jesse said. "When she kissed me, I, I couldn't tell her. Because I knew if I did, I'd lose her."

Aubrey made a move toward Jesse and Chloe put her hand up to stop her.

"Why didn't you tell her?," Jesse asked.

"Because I'm not an asshole like you," Chloe said as she slammed the door in his face.

Beca jumped when she heard Chloe's door slam.

"I'm just gonna go," Beca said pointing towards the stairs.

Jesse was coming down before Beca made it to the stairs. She stopped and looked at him. She watched as he went over and picked up the gift she was waiting to open. He came back over to her.

"I need to talk to you," Jesse said.

Beca nodded and they went into the kitchen. Jesse laid the package on the counter and looked at Beca.

"What's going on, Jesse?," Beca asked. "Why did Chloe slam her door?"

"Open this," Jesse said pushing the gift closer to Beca.

"Jesse, I-"

"Just open the damned gift," Jesse said tersely.

Beca looked at Jesse and pulled the gift to her. She ripped open the wrapping and stared at the gift.

"Why would Chloe give me this?," Beca asked even more confused than she was before. "She knows I don't like movies."

"That's not from her," Jesse said quietly. "That was my gift for you."

"I don't understand," Beca said.

Jesse then told her of the conversation he and Chloe had about who knew Beca best. He also told her that the tickets were from Chloe and he didn't want to lose Beca so he didn't say anything when she thought it was from him.

"Are you fucking kidding me, right now?," Beca yelled.

She was so loud that everyone in the living room got quiet.

"I can't believe you," Beca continued yelling at Jesse.

Chloe and Aubrey both jumped up when Beca started yelling. They rushed out of the room and down the stairs to see what was going on. They stopped at the bottom when they noticed that everyone in the living room was quiet and staring with wide eyes toward the kitchen as Beca continued to yell.

"Beca, I'm sorry," Jesse said with a tear in his eye. "I just love you so much and I knew we were drifting apart. I didn't want to lose you."

"Get out," Beca said.

"Beca," Jesse said reaching for her.

Beca stepped out of his reach.

"How could you possibly think that I would like a bunch of Star Wars movies as a gift?," Beca said through her tears. "I've told you so many times that I hate movies and you continued to make me watch them. And I did, because you were my boyfriend and that's what a good girlfriend is supposed to do. But, you never tried to understand how much I loved music and how serious I am about being a music producer. When I saw the backstage passes to meet David Guetta, I thought you finally got it. But, it was all just a lie."

"Beca, please," Jesse said as a tear slipped down his cheek.

"Get out," Beca said. "I can't even look at you right now. We're through so just leave."

Beca pushed past him and walked out of the kitchen. Jesse leaned against the counter and let the tears fall. Beca stopped when she saw Chloe and Aubrey standing there. She walked over and stood in front of Chloe.

"Why didn't you say anthing?," Beca asked.

"I was going to," Chloe said. "But when I saw you kissing Jesse, it broke me and I couldn't. I thought that you had made your choice to stay with him and I didn't want to get in the way of that."

"Do you really have feelings for me?," Beca asked through her tears.

Chloe looked over Beca's shoulders at a devastated Jesse and felt sorry for him. She thought about what to say next.

"Jesse told me you told him you love me," Beca continued and Chloe's eyes shot to her face. "So, I'm going to ask you again. Do you have -"

"I do love you," Chloe said. "I've been in love with you for a while now."

"Why didn't you ever say anything?," Beca asked.

"Jesse," was all Chloe could say through her tears.

Beca looked back at Jesse. He hadn't moved from where she left him. She sighed and turned back around to look at Chloe.

"I haven't been very fair to either one of you," Beca said. "I knew I had strong feelings for you, but I stayed with Jesse because he was safe. I knew what to expect with him. And, I didn't think you would love me like I love you."

Chloe let out a sob. Beca loved her.

"So, what now?," Chloe asked.

"Stay here," Beca said and turned back to the kitchen.

Jesse looked up when Beca came back into the kitchen.

"I guess you heard all that?," Beca asked.

Jesse just nodded his head.

"I am sorry," Beca said. "I did love you, it just wasn't the way you wanted me to. I didn't mean to fall in love with my best friend. You have to believe that. It just happened. I'm sorry I didn't break it off with you when I realized that I was in love with her. I didn't want to hurt you and I didn't think it was more than a crush at first."

"I get it," Jesse said. "I'm sorry I wasn't enough for you."

"Jesse," Beca said. "It wasn't all bad. I think we will just be better as friends. Not right now, but we'll get there."

"Yeah," Jesse said a small smile showing through his tears. "I'm sorry I hurt you by lying. I guess I was just desperate."

"Not a good look on you, I must say," Beca said jokingly causing Jesse to emit a small laugh.

"I'm going to go now," Jesse said standing straight and wiping away his tears. "I have a feeling you want to kiss Chloe and I'm not sure I'm ready to see that."

"See, you know me better than you thought," Beca said with a teary grin.

Beca grabbed Jesse and gave him a big hug. Jesse hugged her back and walked out of the kitchen with Beca right behind him. He stopped at Chloe.

"I'm really sorry, Chloe," Jesse said. "I hope someday you can forgive me and we can be friends."

Chloe just nodded her head and watched as Jesse walked out the front door. She turned to find Beca standing in front of her with a small smile on her face.

"So, is it really bad of me to ask you to be my girlfriend right after I broke up with my boyfriend?," Beca asked.

"Only as bad as it is of me to say yes to being your girlfriend right after you broke up with your boyfriend," Chloe said.

"I'm going to kiss-"

Chloe pulled Beca into a kiss before she could even finish her sentence. They heard the Bellas, and even a few Trebles, give a little cheer. They pulled back from the kiss and leaned their foreheads together.

"Will you go to the Jingle Ball with me?," Beca asked.

"I thought you'd never ask," Chloe replied and kissed Beca again.

* * *

 **I want to thank everyone for their kind reviews. You guys/gals are the absolute best! I'm still working my way through them all, but writing a new chapter every day takes time. I will respond to all your reviews as quickly as I can, so bear with me.**


	9. Christmas Jelly

**Here's one that continues 'A Girlfriend for Christmas?' (Chapter 7). A couple of folks wanted to see more of what happens at Beca's mom's Christmas party with the girl she was fixing Beca up with. And, a Guest prompted, 'Could you do one where Chloe is jealous at a Christmas party. Some random girls flirt with Beca. Chloe tries not to kill her. WIth the help of Aubrey, Chloe finally tells Beca how she feels' [Beca and Chloe are already together in this fic, but I think the rest of the prompt is covered]. I've combined the two ideas and here's what I came up with. Hope you like it.**

* * *

It was Christmas Eve and Beca was packing her car for the nearly four hour trip to Savannah. Chloe, her girlfriend (God she loved saying that) was still in the Bellas house and Beca went in to see what was taking so long.

"Come on Chloe," Beca yells up the stairs to her girlfriend. "I want to get there by 5:00 so we can help my mom set up for the party."

"I'm coming," Chloe said. "I just had to make sure all the windows were closed and nothing was left turned on. We're the only ones here and we'll be gone for 4 days."

"Did you get the bag with my mom's present in it for me?," Beca asked.

"Got it," Chloe says as she reaches Beca at the bottom of the stairs.

Beca grabs Chloe and gives her a kiss.

"Mmm, what was that for?," Chloe asked.

"Because I can," Beca said and kissed her again.

"As much as I'd love to stand here and keep doing this," Chloe said. "We really should be getting on the road."

"Fine," Beca said and grabbed a bag from Chloe to put in the car.

Beca finished loading the last of their bags in the car and climbed behind the wheel. She started the car and Chloe searched around until she found a station playing all Christmas music. Beca pulled off and their road trip began.

Traffic wasn't as heavy as Beca expected and she found her mind wandering. She mostly thought about Chloe. She could not believe how lucky she was. Chloe Freakin' Beale is her girlfriend! She can't get over saying it or thinking it. She stole a glance at the redhead sitting in the passenger seat, smiling and singing along to the Christmas songs playing on the radio. She loved to hear Chloe sing. She love to hear Chloe talk, laugh, even sigh. She just fucking loved everything about Chloe Beale. Everything!

They had been driving for about three hours when Chloe turned down the radio and looked at Beca.

"How much farther do we have?," Chloe asked.

"We're about twenty minutes away," Beca said. "Do you need to stop?"

"No," Chloe said taking Beca's hand in hers. "Just wondering."

Beca looked back toward the road and smiled.

"My mom is going to love you," Beca said.

"You think so?," Chloe asked. "I'm a little nervous to meet her."

"Well, you already met my dad," Beca said. "Meeting my mom will be a walk in the park and a lot less awkward."

"Yeah," Chloe said. "It was like he's never met one of his students outside the classroom before. Hey, will we have time to help your mom and freshen up before the party starts? I'd like to shower and change."

"Sure," Beca said. "The party doesn't start until 8:00. So, yeah, we'll have plenty of time."

Chloe turned the radio up and went back to singing along. Beca just kept smiling and thinking about her girlfriend. It was about 30 minutes later when Beca pulled into the driveway of her mother's house. She and Chloe both climbed out and stretched before getting their bags out of the back seat of the car. Beca led Chloe to the door and knocked. It was thrown open by an older looking, slightly taller version of Beca.

"Beca!," Sally Mitchell said and grabbed the girl into a hug. "I've missed you!"

"I've missed you, too, mom," Beca said hugging her back.

Sally pulled back from the hug and looked at Beca. She then looked over to Chloe and grabbed her into a hug.

"You must be, Chloe," Sally said. "Beca was right. You are gorgeous."

Beca blushed and Chloe smiled brightly.

"Thank you, Mrs. Mitchell," Chloe said.

"Oh, please, call me Sally."

"Thank you, Sally," Chloe said.

"Come in," Sally said. "Beca show Chloe up to your old room. I have to finish up some stuff in the kitchen. Come down once you're settled."

"We wanted to grab showers and change into something else for the party," Beca said. "So we might be a while."

"Oh, that's fine," Sally said. "Just come down when you're done. I'll put you to work."

"Okay," Beca said and led Chloe upstairs.

Beca took her shower first and Chloe unpacked and put their clothes away so they wouldn't be all wrinkled. Beca came out and Chloe gave her a quick kiss as she went into the bathroom. Beca found her outfit for the night and used the towel to dry off before she started getting dressed. She was rolling up the sleeves of her shirt when Chloe came out of the bathroom. She was rubbing a towel over her hair and another was wrapped around her. Beca's breath hitched in her throat. She turned her back on Chloe because she knew if that towel so much as shifted, she wouldn't be able to control herself. Chloe was adhering to her five date rule before they had sex. Beca was fine with that, but they've made out a few times and there was some above the waist groping and she was so ready to head south of the border. She took a deep breath and chanced a look over her shoulder. Chloe was bent at the waist blow drying her hair. Beca decided to use the bathroom to put on her makeup so she was out of the room while Chloe got dressed. Beca finished her makeup and came back into the bedroom.

Chloe was just finishing her makeup and Beca came up behind her and put her arms round Chloe's waist. Chloe leaned back into Beca and Beca kissed her cheek.

"You look very festive," Beca told her.

Chloe was wearing a red skirt with candy canes and a white short-sleeved button down shirt. Beca was wearing black slacks with a red long-sleeved button down shirt. Over the shirt she wore a black vest with little Santas all over it.

"So do you," Chloe said. "Are you ready?"

"Let's go," Beca said. "We can see what my mom needs help with."

Beca followed Chloe downstairs and her mother put them to work. It was close to 8:00 when the guests started arriving. There were only about 30 people milling about and Beca was looking for Chloe. She finally saw her in a corner talking to Beca's Aunt Rose. Chloe caught her eye and smiled at her. Beca smiled back. The doorbell rang and since Beca was closest she answered. Beca's eyes almost popped out of her head. There stood a beautiful blonde that Beca just stared at. The blonde stared back.

"Um, is this Sally Mitchell's house?," the blonde asked.

"Oh, um, yeah," Beca said coming to her senses. "I'm Beca. Sally's daughter."

"Oh, so you are Beca," the woman said. "My friends call me Kommissar. Your mother mentioned that we should meet. She thinks we will get along well."

"Um, what?," Beca said looking confused.

"Your mother she, how you say," the blonde said. "Fixed me up to be with you. You are even cuter than she described."

"Oh," Beca said. "Um, MOM!"

The blonde was a little shocked when Beca yelled.

"What's with all the yelling?," Sally said as she came to the door. "Oh, Kommissar. I'm so glad you could make it. Come in, come in. I see you've met my daughter."

"Yes, we were just making the acquaintance before you came," Kommissar said.

"I thought you would hit it off," Sally said. "Kommissar is the Captain of a German a capella group. They are pretty famous worldwide. What's your group called again?"

"Das Sound Machine," Kommissar tells her. "We're better known as DSM. Our group has won the a capella World Championship four times now. I have been a part of the last two."

"That's nice," Beca said.

"Your mother says you are in a capella as well," Kommissar says.

"Yes," Beca tells her. "I'm Captain of the Barden Bellas. We're the only all girl a capella group. But we don't have anyone has well put together as you."

Her mother's eyebrows raised as she looked at Beca. Beca blushed.

"Thank you," Kommissar says with a smile. "I like you already. Maybe we can put our mouths to some good use and sing together later."

"My mouth is ready when you are," Beca says and then blushes.

"Beca, can I speak with you in the kitchen?," Sally whispered to her. "Would you excuse us?"

"Of course," Kommissar says. "Talk to you later, Beca."

Sally took Beca by the arm and rushed her into the kitchen.

"You are being terribly rude," Beca said

"What would Chloe think of the way you're acting with Kommissar?," Sally said. "You were totally flirting with her. Why didn't you tell her you have a girlfriend?"

"I was not flirting with her," Beca said. "She was flirting with me."

"You were both flirting," Sally said. "I'll do what you should've done and tell her about your girlfriend, Chloe. Now go find Chloe and stop flirting with Kommissar."

Beca found Chloe and gave her quick hug. They were standing together just talking when Kommissar came over to them.

"There you are," Kommissar said to Beca. "I was wondering if you wanted to go somewhere and talk some more. Get to know each other better."

Chloe furrowed her brow and looked at Kommissar and then at Beca.

"You are," Beca said using her finger to point up and down at the blonde woman. "Physically flawless."

Chloe's mouth dropped open and she looked at Beca. Beca cringed at the look Chloe was giving her.

"I need a drink," Beca said and walked away.

Kommissar watched her walk away with a smile on her face. Chloe scoffed and went after Beca. She found her in the kitchen just standing at the counter.

"What the hell was that?," Chloe asked. "Who the hell was that?"

"That's Kommissar," Beca said not looking at Chloe. "That's the girl my mom wanted to set me up with. She's kind of intimidating."

"Is that what that was?," Chloe asked with her arms folded across her chest. "Telling her she is physically flawless was you being intimidated?"

"Yes," Beca said in a small voice.

"Unbelievable," Chloe said and stormed out of the kitchen.

"Fuck!," Beca says and leans her elbows on the counter and holds her head in her hands.

"What's wrong with you?," Sally asked.

"Chloe's mad at me," Beca said.

"Why?," Sally asked. "What did you do?"

"You haven't talked to Kommissar yet have you?," Beca asked.

"No," Sally said. "I've been playing hostess and haven't had a chance. Why?"

"She came over to me and Chloe," Beca said. "And asked me to go somewhere with her to talk some more, to get to know each other. And, I said she was physically flawless."

"So, you were flirting again with Kommissar, only this time in front of Chloe?," Sally said with a laugh. "I told you to behave and not flirt with Kommissar. No wonder Chloe's upset."

"Not really helping, mom," Beca said.

"I'm going to go find Kommissar and tell her to back off," Sally said. "Okay?"

"Thanks," Beca said.

Beca stayed in the kitchen for a few minutes and then went looking for Chloe. She stood in the doorway of the dining room looking into the living room, searching for Chloe.

"You are under the mistletoe," Kommissar said. "We should follow the tradition and kiss?"

"You wish," Beca said. "You gorgeous specimen, you. Oh, my God, what is wrong with me?"

"I was going to ask the same thing," Chloe says with a huff and walks away.

"Dammit," Beca said and started to go after her.

Kommissar gently grabs Beca by the wrist, stopping her. Beca looked up at her and reached her hand to remove Kommissar's hand.

"You're hands are so soft," Beca said in a daze before shaking her head and pulling away from Kommissar.

Beca couldn't find Chloe, so she went up to her bedroom and sat on her bed trying to calm her nerves. She ran her hands through her hair. She really didn't know why she was acting this way around Kommissar. Sure, she was attractive but she had Chloe. She had to find Chloe and apologize. Hopefully, Chloe will understand it was just her being her awkward self. Beca checked her hair and makeup before she left her room. She closed the door and when she turned around there was a dark haired woman standing there.

"Jesus, you scared me," Beca said.

"I'm sorry," the woman said. "I was just looking for the bathroom. Um, you're Sally's daughter, right? Beca or Becky."

"It's Beca," Beca said. "And, yes, I'm Sally's daughter. You are?"

"Oh," the woman said. "I am Lina, a friend of Kommissar. You like her? You like Kommissar? She thinks you're cute."

"Yes, no," Beca stammered. "I mean she's not my type."

"Oh," Lina said. "I think you are very attractive. Maybe I am, how you say, your type?"

Lina takes her hands and runs them across Beca's shoulders and starts moving them down her chest. Beca grabs her hands to stop her. That's when Chloe showed up to find Beca standing with her hands holding Lina's hands against her chest.

"Of course you show up right now," Beca says with a hint of frustration slightly pushing Lina away from her.

"Would you kindly take your hands off my girlfriend," Chloe tells Lina and pulls Beca to her.

"I am sorry," Lina says. "I was just looking for the bathroom."

"It's over there," Chloe told her pointing towards door for the bathroom.

Lina walks away giving a little wave and a wink to Beca. Chloe glares at her until she is out of sight.

"What is going on with you?," Chloe asks turning to face Beca. "I haven't spent more than ten minutes with you since the party started. And, when I do find you, you're complimenting that blonde bimbo or flirting with some other girl."

"I was so not flirting with that girl," Beca said. "And, you have no reason to be jealous. I love you and I only want you."

"I am not jealous," Chloe said. "I just don't like it when other women flirt with you. Especially, right in front of me. Have you told anyone other than your mother, that I'm your girlfriend?"

Beca shook her head no.

"So, while there was plenty of opportunities for you to compliment gigantor," Chloe said. "There was no such opportunity to let her know you were taken?"

"Every time I opened my mouth to tell her," Beca said defensively. "Some weird compliment would come out. I don't know why. She smells like cinammon. Do you think she smells like cinnamon?"

"I'm going back to the party," Chloe said. "I just can't with you right now."

Chloe left Beca standing outside her bedroom door. Beca banged her head against the door and stood there for a bit. Lina came out of the bathroom and ran a hand down Beca's arm as she passed by her.

"Oh, hey, Beca," Sally said from the stairs. "I was looking for you. We're doing Christmas karaoke. Come on down and sing with us."

Beca walks over to her mother and they head downstairs. Beca watches as her Uncle Mike sets everything up. Several people are looking through the music trying to decide what to sing. Beca sees Chloe and gives her a small smile. Chloe just looks at her and then looks away.

"Chloe's still mad at me," Beca tells her mother.

"I talked to Kommissar and she said she understood that you weren't available," Sally told her. "She likes you. She especially liked the awkward flirting you were doing and thinks you're cute, like a tiny mouse. Her words, not mine."

Beca just stares at her mother. The music starts up and three of her cousins screech their way through "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer". After a few more so-so versions of some of the Christmas Carol type songs, Lina gets up and the sounds of "Santa Baby" come through the speakers. Lina really gets into it and is really good. She winks at Beca while she's singing. Beca blushes and looks away. She sees Chloe glaring at her. Beca gives her a pout and mouths "I'm sorry." Chloe looks away from her and then gets up and picks a song to sing next. Beca looks at her mother.

"I don't think I'm going to like this," Beca says. "Why do I feel like we're about to hear "You're Mean One Mr. Grinch" being sung while I'm being glared at by my girlfriend?"

"Hush," Sally said with a laugh. "Chloe's up next."

Everyone claps for Lina and she blows Beca a kiss. Beca drops her head on her mother's shoulders.

"I am so dead," Beca said.

Beca's head pops up when she hears Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" start up. She watches as Chloe starts singing and dancing. Chloe stares at Beca the whole time she's singing and then Beca goes and joins her in singing the song. They both stare into each other's eyes as they sing. The place erupts in applause when they finish the song.

"That's my girl," Beca yells above the noise as she also claps and whistles for Chloe.

"God, I love this girl," Beca thinks as Chloe pulls Beca into a searing kiss. They only break it when they hear a couple of people clearing their throats.

"Oh, sorry," Chloe said to everyone causing Beca to blush.

She grabs Beca by the hand and leads her into the kitchen. She then gives Beca an even more passionate kiss. They pull out of the kiss and Chloe is staring into Beca's eyes.

"That was so hot," Beca says catching her breath. "Can we count this party as a date? Because by my count that would make this date number five."

"We could," Chloe said. "But, nothing is happening tonight. When we do finally do _it_ , it's going to be a night where I am the only person on your mind. Not those German bimbos that you can't have a normal conversation with without flirting. I want to know that you're all hot and bothered because of me, and only me."

"I love you," Beca said.

"I love you, too," Chloe said. "And, after singing that song to each other, everyone here now knows you're mine."

"No more Christmas jelly?," Beca says with a smile.

"No more Christmas jelly," Chloe said. "Although for the record, I was so not jelly."


	10. I'll Be Home For Christmas

**First, I want to say how much I appreciate all of the reviews. Second, thanks for all the prompts that have been suggested. I am working to get to as many as I can and hope you enjoy them.**

 **This prompt is mine: Beca promised her wife, Chloe, that she'd be home for their daughter's first Christmas. Will she make it and keep her promise? Or will a snow storm keep her away? Keep reading to find out. Lots of fluff.**

* * *

It was early in the morning on Christmas Eve and Beca Mitchell was at JFK airport to catch her flight to Tampa where her wife and daughter were waiting for her.

"No, no, no," Beca Mitchell mumbled to herself. "This cannot be happening."

She studied the flight departures boards only to see "delayed" next to every flight out of JFK Airport. She walked over to the ticket counter only to hear the agents telling passengers that it looked like all flights were going to be delayed until sometime tomorrow. People started yelling and Beca pulled out her phone.

"Jerry?," Beca said when the call was answered. "I need a car. I don't need a driver, I'll drive myself."

"I thought you were flying home," Jerry said.

"This fucking ice and snow is keeping the planes on the ground," Beca said. "I need to be in Tampa when Sophie wakes up tomorrow or I'm going to have an extremely pissed off wife."

"I'll have a car to you as soon as I can," Jerry said. "It's icy but not too bad right now. It is supposed to get worse so we'll get you out of there as soon as we can. I know a couple of guys who don't mind driving in this stuff."

"Thanks, Jer," Beca said. "I owe you big."

"I'll have them text you when there close so you can meet them outside," Jerry said.

"Hey, Jer," Beca said. "I'm guessing it's going to be an SUV with four-wheel drive, right?"

"Definitely," Jerry said.

"How many people will it hold?," Beca asked.

"Four or five comfortably," Jerry said. "I'm guessing you'll need room for luggage and stuff."

"Yeah," Beca said. "It's like a 19-20 hour drive and I'm going to offer some folks a ride so they can help drive. That we can drive straight through. I really need to be there when Sophie wakes up tomorrow morning."

"I get it," Jerry said. "I'm going to call my guys. Be safe."

"Thanks," Beca said and hung up.

Beca looked around the ticket counter and saw that everyone looked upset and feeling down because they couldn't get a flight out until Christmas day. Also, it looked like they would all be spending at least tonight in the airport. She walked over to one couple that were looking a little frantic.

"Um, excuse me," Beca said. "My name's Beca Mitchell and I was supposed to be on the flight to Tampa. Is that where you were heading?"

"Actually, we're only going as far as Atlanta," the young man said.

"Can you both drive?," Beca asked. "I have a car on its way here and I'm going to drive to Tampa. I can drop you off in Atlanta. I just need someone else to help with the driving so I can drive straight through and not have to stop overnight. There's snow as far as North Carolina, so I need someone who can drive in the snow. I know it's stupid and dangerous, but I really need to get home to my wife and daughter."

"Seriously?," the girl said. "That would be-"

She grabs Beca in a hug and starts squealing "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"So, does that mean you can drive in the snow?," Beca asked with a laugh.

"I'm Benji and this is my girlfriend, Emily," the young man says. "We're originally from Boston so we know about driving in the snow. We would love to accept your offer."

"Do we know you?," Emily asks really looking at Beca. "You seem so familiar looking."

"Um, I don't think so," Beca said looking around.

"Oh, my gosh," Emily squeals. "I just realized. You're Beca Mitchell, the music producer, and singer/songwriter."

"Could you keep it down, please?," Beca said looking around to see if anyone was paying attention. "I'm trying to keep a low profile so I can slip out of here as quickly as possible without too much fanfare."

"Oh, sorry," Emily says with a beaming smile. "I can't believe we're going to be traveling with Beca Mitchell."

"Um, okay then," Beca said. "I'm going to go talk to those 2 girls over there and see if they want to help with driving as well. Just stay put and I'll come back to you."

"You got it," Benji said.

Beca walked over to an Africa American woman standing next to a dark haired woman.

"Excuse me," Beca said to get their attention.

The dark haired woman's eyes widen and her mouth fell open.

"You, you're Beca Mitchell," the woman said. "We saw your concert last night. CR that's Beca Mitchell."

"I see," CR said with a smile.

"Yeah, can we maybe keep it quiet," Beca said. "I'm just trying to get home to my family for Christmas."

"I'm not sure how we can help you with that," CR said. "We're just trying to get to Tampa for a friend's wedding. Doesn't look like we're going to make it."

"I have a car," Beca said. "Or I will soon. I just need some folks to help drive from here to Tampa. I already have that couple over there and just need someone else. I don't want to have to spend the night anywhere."

"Seriously?," the dark haired woman asks. "We can help drive if it gets us to Tampa by morning."

"Great," Beca said. "How's your driving in the snow? I think we're going to be going through a lot of it based on weather reports. I want to make sure everyone's comfortable with it."

"I'm from Denver," CR said. "I'm comfortable with driving in the snow."

"I haven't introduced myself," the other woman says. "I'm Denise. I'll admit I'm not very comfortable driving in the snow but I can drive once we get closer to Florida."

"That'll work," Beca said. "Get your stuff and come with me."

CR and Denise gather their bags and walk over to Benji and Emily. Beca makes introductions and everyone starts chatting about where they're going. Beca's phone pings.

"Alright folks," Beca said. "Our car is here. Follow me."

Beca picks up her laptop bag and puts it over her shoulder. She grabs her two bags and starts pulling them toward the exit. The others follow and Beca leads them to the car.

"Dave!," Beca shouts causing the man to look up.

"Hey, Beca," Dave says and starts taking the luggage.

"I really do appreciate you doing this," Beca said.

"No problem," Dave said. "Mike came too so he can drive me back home."

Beca looks and sees Mike standing next to the vehicle in front of them. She waves and he waves back. Dave and Benji manage to get the luggage piled in the back. Beca tells everyone to get in and she walks over to Mike and Dave.

"Here guys," Beca says handing Dave a wad of cash. "Merry Christmas."

"Thanks, Beca," both guys say. "Merry Christmas."

Beca just nods and heads back to the car. She gets in the driver's seat and makes sure everyone is buckled in before pulling away from the curb.

"It's almost 8:00 am," Beca said as she eases down the road. "If all goes well we should hit Tampa sometime between 4:00 and 5:00 am tomorrow. We have a full tank of gas, so we shouldn't have to stop for a while. I'll drive until we need gas."

"I'll take next shift," CR said.

"Thanks, CR," Beca said.

"How about we do this," Denise said from the passenger seat. "Whoever is in the passenger seat has to stay awake with the driver. That way the rest can nap and we'll always have someone rested enough to drive for a bit. Especially in this weather."

"Sounds good," Beca said glancing at the occupants in the backseat. "What do you guys think?"

"I agree," Benji said. "We had to be up at 4:00 this morning to make it to JFK in time for our flight. I could use a nap."

"Well, then I suggest you three rest," Beca said. "We'll wake you when we stop."

She hears rustling as CR, Benji, and Emily get comfortable. It isn't long before she hears light snoring coming from the back seat. She looks over at Denise, who is looking at her.

"So, why the urgent need to get to Tampa?," Denise asked. "I mean other than it's Christmas and you want to be with family."

"That's pretty much it," Beca says quietly. "My wife, Chloe, is with her folks right now. It's our daughter's very first Christmas. Sophie's only 9 months old and she won't remember any of it, but we will. Chloe sent me a video of her when she saw the lights and there was something magical about it. I really wished I had been there to see it."

"You're such a softie," Denise said with a light laugh. "You have this badass persona you show during your performances, but underneath you're just a big marshmallow."

"Please don't tell anyone," Beca says with a laugh. "You'll destroy my street cred."

"Your secret is safe with me," Denise says with a smile.

"So, what about you and CR?," Beca asks. "You said something about a wedding."

"Yeah," Denise said. "Our friends Ashley and Jessica are finally getting married. We all went to college together. CR and I were the first of our group to marry and everyone showed up for us. We wanted to do the same for everyone else. Jess and Ash are the last."

"That's great," Beca said. "Chloe and I are part of a group of friends like that. We're the first to have a baby, but Chloe's best friend Aubrey is due any day now. Aubrey's married to one of my best friends, Stacie. And, my other best friend, Jesse, and his wife, Sarah, just told us she's 3 months pregnant. Tampa holds a fond place in all our hearts because it seems we all found our better halves while visiting Chloe's family during Christmas. Sarah is actually Chloe's cousin and Jesse met her when he and I spent Christmas at the Beales' a couple of years ago. I brought Stacie along with me the first time Chloe asked me to visit her family. It was before I finally got the balls to ask Chloe out. We were just friends at that time. Aubrey was there and her and Stacie hit it off. I actually asked Chloe to marry me at their wedding."

"Wow," Denise said. "You guys sound a lot like us. Fat Amy and Bumper are the only ones with kids. They have two; a boy and a girl."

"Fat Amy?," Beca asks with a smirk.

"Yeah," Denise says and laughs. "That's what she calls herself so twig bitches like us don't say it behind her back. She's a real card."

"Sounds like it," Beca said and laughed.

The two were quiet as Beca concentrated on the road. They were lucky that the highways had been plowed a couple of times so Beca felt more comfortable as the miles passed. She had been driving for a while just chatting with Denise when she noticed it was time to get gas. She watched for signs and finally took an exit to find a gas station. She pulled into one and shut off the engine. Denise was waking the others as Beca got out of the car. She stretched and checked her phone. It was almost Noon and she was hungry. The others started piling out of the car and were stretching.

"We should get something to eat while we're stopped," Beca said.

"There's a diner right there," CR said. "Why don't we just get something there."

"Sounds good," Beca said. "Why don't you guys go ahead. I'll bring the car over once I've filled it up."

The four travellers walked over to the diner and Beca began to fill the gas tank. She went inside the station and grabbed some water for everyone. She got back in the car and drove it to the diner and met the others inside.

After everyone was done eating, they all went to the rest room. CR got behind the wheel and Denise rode shotgun again since she wouldn't need to drive until after they dropped off Benji and Emily.

Benji and Emily were talking quietly with Denise so as not to disturb Beca while she tried to get some sleep.

"Emily and I are high school sweethearts," Benji told Denise. "We want to get married but our parents want us to wait until we've graduated from college. We're both Seniors now and are talking about having a Christmas wedding next year."

"We both love Christmas," Emily said. "We met at a Christmas party our Sophomore Year in High School. Benji asked me to marry him on Christmas in our Sophomore Year of college."

"That's so sweet," Denise said. "CR and I dated in High School but my folks didn't like the fact that I was dating a girl so they made me break up with her. We were both devastated until we walked into our first math class in college and saw each other. We've been together ever since and got married just two years ago."

"We were just meant to be," CR said grabbing Denise's hand and giving it a squeeze.

"Why are we slowing down?," Benji asked.

"Snow plows ahead," CR said. "They're stretched across the highway so we just have to sit back and relax until they give us an opening."

The next few hours crawled by and CR said they needed gas and pulled off at the next exit. They got gas and Benji and Emily took over the front seats. Beca slept through the entire stop. Denise did try to wake her to see if she wanted anything but Beca didn't move.

"Benji," CR said from the backseat. "We're a little behind on time. If you want to put the pedal to the metal, we'll help pay any tickets you might get."

"I'm on it," Benji said and pressed the accelerator.

With Benji behind the wheel, they made up for the time they lost. The snow was falling but it wasn't as bad as it had been from New York through Pennsylvania and then Maryland. They made it through Virginia and North Carolina. In South Carolina, the snow had stopped and traffic was a little heavier but they were still moving at a good speed. They didn't want to waste time eating in anywhere so they grabbed some sandwiches to eat on the road when they stopped to get gas and switch drivers. They werenn't far form Atlanta and Emily was driving It was almost 10:00 pm when they pulled into the drive of Emily's parents in Atlanta. Mr. and Mrs. Junk came out to greet everyone and thanked Beca for getting their daughter and Benji to them safely. Emily invited them to stay and have some coffee before they left. Beca was a little hesitant but decided to stay for one cup. She pulled out her phone only to realize it was dead.

"Shoot," Beca said. "I forgot to charge my phone."

"Here just use my charger and plug it in here," Emily told her.

Beca thanked her and put her phone on the charger. As soon as it had some power she turned it on to see what she missed.

"Shit," Beca muttered

"What's wrong?," CR asked.

"I've got like 15 missed texts and 10 missed calls from Chloe," Beca said. "She's going to be so pissed."

"Call her now," CR said. "Trust me. Just tell her the truth and we're here if you need us to talk to her for you."

"Thanks," Beca said as she pressed the button to call Chloe.

"Beca Mitchell where the hell have you been?," her wife's voice comes through the line. "I've been calling and texting for hours. I've worried myself sick that something happened."

"I'm sorry, babe," Beca said. "I forgot to charge my phone and I called as soon as I did. I'm safe, Chlo. Don't worry. I'll be home early enough so I won't miss Sophie's first Christmas."

"Is the airport opened up again?," Chloe asked. "Last we heard it was going to be shutdown for a couple days with no flights leaving or coming in."

"Um, I'm not in the airport," Beca said.

"Coffee's ready," Mrs. Junk called out.

"Who was that?," Chloe's asked in an icy tone.

"Babe, it's not what you think," Beca said quickly. "I got a car and we're driving to Tampa. We're in Atlanta right now dropping off Benji and Emily. They invited us to stay for coffee before we continued our drive."

"Beca Mitchell are you insane?," Chloe yelled through the phone. "And who the hell is we?"

"Some people I was stuck in the airport with who wanted to get home as much as I did," Beca said. Beca sighed as she sat down on the floor with her back to the wall. She ran her hand through her hair and said, "I just want to be there when Sophie wakes up for her first Christmas. I want to be holding you and trying to be quiet so your parents don't hear us talking and whatnot. I love you and Sophie so much Chlo and I'm doing what I need to to get home for Christmas with my two girls."

"Oh, baby," Chloe whispers. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. How much longer until you get here?"

"We're about 6 hours from Tampa," Beca said. "We should be in Tampa around 5:00 in the morning. If I could, I'd be there right now. Trust me, baby, I'm coming home to you."

"Just be safe," Chloe said. "I love you so, so much."

"I love you, too," Beca said. "Give Sophie a kiss from me and tell her I'll see her soon. Bye, babe."

"Bye, baby," Chloe said.

Beca ended the call and put her phone on the table. She slowly got up to find 6 pair of eyes looking at her. Emily and her mother wiped away some tears.

"We didn't mean to eavesdrop," Emily said. "But that was the sweetest thing I've ever heard. We made your coffee to go. I added a couple of sandwiches in case you get hungry."

Beca blushed and nodded.

"I'm sorry," Beca said to Mr. and Mrs. Junk. "I just really want to be with my family."

"Don't apologize," Mrs. Junk said. "We totally understand. You'd better get going. You don't want to keep your wife and daughter waiting."

Beca smiled and said "Thank you."

"Come on, Beca," CR said. "Tampa awaits."

The three women went out to the car. Benji, Emily and her parents walked them out. Emily grabbed Beca in a hug and thanked her again for helping them get home. Mrs. Junk hugged her, CR, and Denise and wished them a safe drive. Denise took the wheel and CR rode shotgun. Beca climbed into the back and they drove off.

"Big softie," Denise said looking at Beca in the rearview mirror.

"Shut up," Beca said with a smile.

"Do you have a picture of your daughter?," CR asked.

"Of course," Beca said and pulled out her phone. She scrolled through and found some pictures of Sophie and Chloe.

"Awww," CR said. "She's adorable. Is that Chloe?"

Beca looked at the picture CR was referring to.

"Yep, that's her," Beca said.

"Damn," CR said. "She's hot."

"Hey," Denise said slapping her wife's arm. "Stop ogling Beca's wife."

CR held the phone up so Denise could see the picture. It happened to be one where they had Sophie at the pool and Chloe was in a blue bikini.

"Damn," Denise said causing CR and Beca to both laugh.

"Both of you need to stop ogling my wife," Beca said taking her phone back.

"How long have you two been together?," Denise asked Beca.

"I've known her for eight years," Beca said. "But, we've only been together for five, married for three. Could you put this on the charger for me?"

CR took Beca's phone and put on the charger.

"So, how'd you two meet?," CR asked.

"In college," Beca said and let out a laugh. "The second time I ever saw her she barged into my shower because she heard me singing and wanted me to join their group."

"Seriously?," CR said.

"Seriously," Beca said. "She is very confident about all that."

"From what I saw," CR said. "She should be. Did you join?"

"You saw her. What do you think?," Beca asked with a laugh. "We became best friends and somewhere along the line, I fell for her hard. I didn't think she felt the same way so I never told her. It took her best friend Aubrey, and my best friends Stacie and Jesse to finally make me see that she was into me as much as I was into her. It was one of the best days of my life when I finally sacked up and asked her out. She's been with me from the beginning of my career and is my biggest supporter and number one fan. I'd be lost without her."

"You know, Beca," Denise said. "When you say things like that, you lose so many badass points."

Beca laughed. She knew when it came to Chloe, and now Sophie, she was total mush. And she liked it. Beca told them she was tired and was going to try and get some sleep. She settled back and closed her eyes. She woke up when CR was shaking her letting her know they had stopped for gas.

Beca got out of the car and stretched and yawned. She checked her phone and saw that it was 2:30 am. They should be less than 2 hours from Tampa now. She was getting butterflies in her stomach. She hadn't seen Chloe and Sophie for almost 2 months because of her tour. It was her last one. From now on she would be home for dinner every night, and on weekends. She'd be able to watch Sophie grow up and not miss out on anything. She'd be able to talk to Chloe about when they were going to give Sophie a baby brother or sister. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Denise touched her arm.

"Sorry, Beca," Denise said. "I called your name like three times. You okay?"

"Yeah, sorry," Beca said. "I just got lost in my thoughts."

"Well, we're ready to go," Denise said. "CR said she'd drive us into Tampa so you could take it easy. We should be there in about 90 minutes."

"Perfect," Beca said. "Let's go."

The three women got into the car and CR drove off. Beca's body was tingling with anticipation and she couldn't wait to see Chloe and Sophie. She kept watching the signs as the miles dwindled. CR was pushing the speed limits and before Beca knew it they were in Tampa. CR drove to the hotel she and Denise were booked in and parked the car. The three women got out and CR went to the back to get their luggage. Denise pulled Beca into a hug.

"Thank you so much," Denise told Beca. "It was really great meeting you."

"It was great meeting you guys, too," Beca told them. "Thanks so much for helping with the driving and just putting up with me."

"Don't worry," Denise told her with a grin. "Badass Beca Mitchell's rep is still intact."

"So, where's the wedding taking place?," Beca asked with a laugh.

"It's actually all happening here," CR said and looked at Beca with a big smile. "I wish it wasn't 4:00 in the morning. I'd love to have you meet Jessica and Ashley. They are huge fans as well."

"I could sign something for them," Beca said.

"Oh, my God," Denise said. "That would be awesome."

Denise searches through her purse and pulls out an envelope.

"This is the their wedding invitation," Denise said. "Could you sign that?"

"Sure," Beca said and took the invitation.

She wrote congratulations on your wedding and signed her name. She handed the card back to Denise. CR pulled out her phone and asked for a picture for her and Denise. Beca obliged and both girls took pictures with their phones of the three of them.

Beca thanked the girls again for helping with the driving. She hugged them both and wished them a Merry Christmas and then got in the car. She made it to the Beales in about 10 minutes and turned off the car. It was almost 4:15 am when she got out of the car and grabbed her bags. She went to the door and got the key from under the mat. She opened the door and quietly made her way inside. She left her bags by the door and took her shoes off. She went upstairs to Chloe's room and opened the door as quietly as she could. She made her way over to the crib to find it empty. She moved to the bed to see Chloe asleep with Sophie cuddled next to her. Beca looked down them and smiled before kissing Sophie's forehead. She gently eased the blanket back and picked up Sophie. She held her daughter in her arms, rocking her back and forth.

"I missed you, baby girl," she whispered as she ran a finger down her cheek.

Beca gently laid Sophie in her crib and placed a blanket over her. Beca yawned and stretched and went back over to the bed. She slowly laid down so she was on her side facing Chloe. She relished the beauty that was her wife. She fell asleep with a smile on her face, happy that she made it home for Christmas.

Chloe woke up slightly panicked when she didn't feel Sophie. The she saw Beca laying in front of her. She reached up and gently caressed Beca's face. A part of her just wanting to touch her wife after two months of being apart, and part of her just wanted to make sure she was real.

"Stop staring," Beca mumbled.

"I can't help it," Chloe said and leaned in to kiss Beca. "I'm just so glad you're here."

Beca closed the short distance between then and pulled Chloe to her. She kissed Chloe and then wiped a tear from Chloe's eye. Chloe buried her head in Beca's neck as they laid there just holding each other.

"I missed you," Beca whispered to Chloe.

"I missed you, too," Chloe whispered before leaning up and grabbing Beca's lips in another kiss.

Beca broke the kiss and looked over Sophie in her crib. Sophie was looking over at her and making cooing noises while flailing her arms.

"Looks like someone else is awake," Beca said before getting out of bed.

She went over to Sophie and picked her up. She took her back over to the bed and laid her next to Chloe. She climbed back in and the three of them laid there together.

"I missed you both so much," Beca said a tear falling down her cheek. "I'm never leaving you two again. I'm done touring. I promise."

"Do you mean that?," Chloe asked softly.

"Yep," Beca said. "I told the studio this last tour was literally my last tour. I'll be home so much you'll get sick of me. I missed you two so much and I almost missed Sophie's first Christmas. I don't ever want to miss any of her firsts. Or any firsts of our future children."

Chloe leaned across Sophie and kissed Beca. Sophie started waving her arms and legs causing Beca and Chloe to laugh thus ending their kiss. Chloe started tickling Sophie's tummy causing her to giggle. Beca found herself staring at Chloe and Sophie with a big smile on her face. These are the moments she loved the most.

"Merry Christmas, my loves," Beca says as she watches over her two favorite girls.


	11. Going Home Again

**Electronis Zappa prompt: Beca and Chloe learn their favorite bar is closing in Barden and they go back for one last drink. Don't know how to tie it into the holiday aside from maybe they find a way to buy it to prevent the closure.**

* * *

"I can't for the life of me figure out how you convinced me spending Thanksgiving with my dad and Sheila was a good idea," Beca said as they drove their rental car from the airport.

"Oh, hush," Chloe said. "All I had to do was show a little side boob and you were agreeing to everything I suggested."

"I so hate you right now," Beca said.

"Maybe," Chloe said. "But you love my boobs."

"You can't tell me we won't be having sex in my father's house," Beca said glancing at Chloe. "And then start talking about your boobs. So not fair Beale."

"It's Mitchell," Chloe said. "Or have you forgotten already?"

"I will always remember our wedding day," Beca said kissing the back of Chloe's hand. "One of **the** best days of my life."

"And, don't forget the honeymoon," Chloe said with a cheeky grin. "Remember how my bikini top kept coming loose. Good thing we were on a private beach or everyone would have seen my _boobs_."

"And, I'm back to hating you, again," Beca said.

Chloe just laughed and turned up the radio. They arrived at Professor Mitchell's house about twenty minutes later and grabbed their bags. Sheila answered the door and ushered them inside.

"How was the flight?," Sheila asked.

"I guess it was fine," Beca said. "I slept through it."

"It was fine," Chloe said giving Sheila a hug. "Except for the constant snoring that was going on in my right ear."

"I do not snore," Beca said.

"Keep telling yourself that, babe," Chloe said with a laugh. "Where's Ben?"

"He went to his office but should be home in just a bit," Sheila said. "Can I get you girls something to drink?"

"I'll just have some water please," Chloe said.

"Same," Beca said. "I'm going to take our bags upstairs."

"I'll help," Chloe said. "I want to hang up my blouses so the don't get wrinkled."

Beca and Chloe came back downstairs about twenty minutes later when they heard Beca's dad come home.

"Hey, dad," Beca said and gave the man a hug.

"Hey, Beca," Ben said. "I just heard something that might interest you."

"Oh, yeah," Beca said giving Chloe a kiss on the cheek as she sat next to her. "What's that?"

" _Ned's_ is closing," Ben said. "After this weekend they're closing their doors for good."

"What?," Beca said. "Why?"

"The owner died a few months ago," Ben said. "And one of his nephews took over but doesn't know what he's doing. He apparently been trying to sell it but no on has shown any interest in it. So, he just decided to close it up."

"I can't believe it," Chloe said. " _Ned's_ is where Beca first told me she loved me. All of the Bellas and the Trebles used to hang out there and do karaoke all the time."

"Since we're here, we should see if any of the Bellas are around," Beca said. "Get everybody together for one last drink. Most of them are in nearby Atlanta so I'm sure we can get a pretty good group of us. I'll text everyone and see if we can maybe go on Friday night. How does meeting up at 8:00 sound?"

"Sounds good," Chloe said. "I have to call Brey and let her know we're here. I'll tell her about the get together. You can group text everyone else."

"Oh, wait," Beca said. "Dad, you and Sheila didn't have anything planned for us for Friday night did you?"

"No, you girls make whatever plans you want," Ben said.

"Thanks Dad," Beca said.

Beca had her phone out and was writing a group text while Chloe called Aubrey.

"Chloe!," Aubrey's voice came through the phone. "Are you and Beca in Barden yet?"

"Yeah," Chloe said. "We got here a little bit ago. I was mainly calling to see if you and Stacie were available on Friday night? Ben just told us that _Ned's_ is closing after this weekend and we wanted to get everyone together to go have one last drink."

"I can't believe it," Aubrey said. "Stacie and I will definitely be there. What time?"

"Beca's texting everyone to meet there at 8:00," Chloe said and Beca nodded her head in agreement. "Why don't you guys meet us at the Barden diner first? It'll be just like old times."

"Okay," Aubrey said. "We can be there around 6:00. Is that good for you?"

"Perfect," Chloe said. "We'll see you then."

"Okay," Aubrey said. "Bye, Chlo."

Chloe hangs up and looks at Beca.

"Brey and Stacie are in," Chloe says.

"Fat Amy and Bumper are in," Beca said. "CR said she and Denise will be there but might not get there until a bit later. Lily just texted 'K' so I guess she's in. I expect we'll hear from the others later."

"Dinner's ready," Sheila called from the dining room.

Thanksgiving was uneventful and Beca was looking forward to seeing the Bellas the next night. Beca and Chloe were having breakfast with Ben and Sheila on Friday morning when they decided to take a walk around Barden.

"We'll see you in a few hours," Beca told her dad as she and Chloe left the house.

They walked toward the University. They just wandered around reminiscing and found themselves in front of _Ned's._ They decided to go in for a drink. The place wasn't quite like they remembered. It was more rundown and looked like the owner had just given up on the place. The place was practically empty.

"This is sad," Beca said as they sat at the bar.

Beca orders two beers and looks around the place.

"Right over there is where I first knew for sure that I was in love with you," Beca told Chloe pointing to the booth where the Bellas always sat.

"It's also where you told me you loved me for the first time," Chloe said giving Beca a quick kiss.

"Being here sure brings back a lot of memories," Beca said.

"It sure does," Chloe said.

Chloe sat and looked around the old bar. There were so many memories here and all around Barden that she and Beca have shared.

"Babe, I need to talk to you about something," Chloe said. "But, can we go back to your dad's and talk."

"Um, sure," Beca said feeling nervous. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Chloe said. "Let's wait until we get back to your dad's."

The walk back to Ben and Sheila's was a quiet one. Beca lost in thought wondering what Chloe needed to talk to her about. Chloe going over in her head what she wanted to say to Beca.

"How was your walk down Memory Lane?," Sheila asked when the girls came through the door.

"It was good," Beca said.

"Did you girls eat?," Ben asked. "We were just going to have a turkey sandwich."

"I could go for a sandwich," Beca said. "Chlo?"

"Yes, thank you," Chloe said.

Sheila made sandwiches and they all sat around the table chatting as they ate. Beca and Chloe both anxious for the talk they were going to have.

"Are you girls okay?," Ben asked. "Did something happen on your walk?"

"What? No," Beca said. "Sorry, we stopped off at _Ned's_ and all the memories just got to us. As a matter of fact, Chloe and I need to talk about something. Would you excuse us?"

"Sure, go ahead," Sheila told them.

Beca led Chloe upstairs to their bedroom. Beca sat on the bed with her back against the headboard. Chloe sat next to her. Neither of them said anything for a few minutes.

"Chlo, you're kind of scaring me," Beca said quietly. "What's going on?"

Chloe put her head on Beca's shoulder.

"You know how you had decided that after graduation you were going to stay in Atlanta because you thought I was staying here?," Chloe asked. "I was waiting to hear about that position at the Atlanta Music Academy I applied for."

"Yeah," Beca said. "And, you didn't get it. But, you did get that really great job offer in L.A., so we moved there."

"And you found a job as a producer and did some DJ gigs on the side," Chloe said.

"Yeah," Beca said. "And we've done quite well for ourselves. What's all this leading up to, Chlo?"

"Well, you remember how I told you the Atlanta Music Academy was my dream job?," Chloe asked and Beca nodded. "Well, I was offered the position as Assistant Dean. I have to let them know soon because they want me to start right after New Year's."

"Chloe, that's great," Beca said. "Oh, my God. I'm so proud of you."

Beca grabbed Chloe and hugged her. Chloe hugged her and pulled back.

"I'm not going to take it," Chloe said.

"Why the hell not?," Beca asked.

"Because I'd have to move back here," Chloe said.

"You mean, _we'd_ have to move back here," Beca said. "We're married. We're a team. Where you go, I go."

"I couldn't ask you to move for me again," Chloe said. "Your dream has always been L.A. I can't ask you to give that up."

"Chloe, my dream is wherever you are," Beca said. "Besides, we've been living my dream for the past five years. It's time we lived yours. Accept the job."

"What about you?," Chloe asked. "What are you going to do?"

"Let me ask you this," Beca said. "If I got an offer to work for Sony in New York, what would you tell me to do?."

"I'd tell you to take the job," Chloe said without hesitation.

"And you'd go with me, wouldn't you?," Beca said.

"Of course," Chloe said.

"So, I'm telling you to take the job," Beca said. "And I'm coming with you. You can't get rid of me that easily."

"But, Beca," Chloe said.

"Take the job," Beca said.

"But,"

"Take the job."

"Becs."

"Take. The. Job."

"Fine," Chloe said. "I'll take the job."

"Good," Beca said and kissed Chloe. "So, were you going to decline the job offer and never tell me about it?"

"I thought about it," Chloe said. "About not telling you, because I knew you'd tell me to take the job. But, with all the memories that resurfaced today, I think a part of me wanted you to be okay with me taking the job, so we could move back here. This place holds so much of what made us who we are, it would feel like coming home."

"I love you," Beca said kissing Chloe. "Now I need to talk to my dad about something. It might take me a while. Why don't you shower while I do that and then when I come back up we can get ready. We have to meet Aubrey and Stacie in a couple of hours."

"Okay," Chloe said.

Beca goes downstairs to find her father. He's in his study and she asks to speak with him. She spends the next hour telling him her idea and he seems to think it's a good plan. They agree to get things started the next day.

The gang all meet up at _Ned's_ that night and reminisce about all the time they spent there. It's a bittersweet reunion but they drink beer and sing karaoke and close the place, just like old times.

The next morning, Beca and her dad are up early and out of the house before Chloe wakes up. She tries texting Beca and just gets a 'be back soon' message from her. Chloe helps Sheila decorate the house for Christmas and are in the middle of decorating the tree when Beca and Ben come home.

"The place looks great, dear," Ben tells Sheila.

"Chloe did a great job of helping," Sheila said. "I wouldn't have half as much done without her."

"Where have you two been?," Chloe asks.

"Just spending some time together before we head back to L.A. tomorrow," Beca said. "Plus I talked to a realtor to get started on looking for a house for us. I brought back some brochures of a couple I think you'd like. Karen, the realtor, said she's available this afternoon if you want to go look at any of them."

"Seriously?," Chloe asked looking through the brochures. "Let's see if we can look at these two. They're my favorites."

Beca calls the realtor and sets up a time for later that day to view the houses Chloe picked. Beca and Chloe fell in love with one of the homes they looked at and made an offer.

"We'd really like to expedite the sale," Beca said. "We're in a rush because my wife will be starting her new job the first of the year."

"If the offer is accepted," Karen told them. "I think we can have you moved in by Christmas. The owners have already moved out, all of the inspections are complete, and the only thing we'd have left to do is sign the paperwork."

"Excellent," Beca said.

Beca and Chloe go back to Ben and Sheila's and excitedly tell them about the house. Ben is happy that Beca will be close by again. Their relationship has gotten somewhat better over the years and he was looking forward to being able to spend more time with his daughter.

Beca and Chloe fly back to L.A. where Chloe gives her final notice at her job and starts packing up the house. Karen told them their offer was accepted and made arrangements for them to sign the paperwork to make the house theirs. They flew to Atlanta on a Friday, signed the paperwork and flew back home on Sunday. It was Chloe's final week at her school and the students and faculty threw her a going away party on her last day. She loved the school and was going to miss everyone but she was also looking forward to her new position in Atlanta.

Beca was on the phone when Chloe got home. Ending the call when she saw Chloe.

"Hey, babe," Beca said kissing the Chloe.

"Who was that?," Chloe asked.

"My dad," Beca said. "He's helping me with a job I'm trying to get in Atlanta."

"Oh," Chloe said. "What job?"

"I don't want to tell you yet," Beca said. "I don't want to jinx it."

"Beca Mitchell, what are you up to?," Chloe asked.

"You'll see," Beca said. "Let's order some food. I'm starved."

Their house sold quickly and they were all packed up. There was nothing left to do but move to Atlanta. Their good friend and neighbor, Maddy, had volunteered to let the movers in to pick up their stuff the day after Christmas. It was scheduled to arrive in in Atlanta before New Year's Day. Beca and Chloe will be staying with Ben and Sheila until their stuff arrives.

It was Christmas Eve and Beca told Chloe to get dressed in some party clothes. Ben and Sheila were getting ready as well.

"Where are we going?," Chloe asked.

"Just get changed, woman," Beca said giving Chloe a swat on the butt.

"Okay, okay," Chloe said with a laugh.

The two couples were ready and got into Ben's car. Beca blindfolded Chloe and told her it was a surprise. Ben drove for a few minutes and parked the car in the lot. Beca got out and helped Chloe out of the car. Chloe could feel Beca's excitement. Beca led Chloe a little ways and stopped. She positioned Chloe and then took off the blindfold.

"You brought me to _Ned's_?," Chloe asked looking around. "I thought they were shutdown."

"The old _Ned's_ was closed down," Beca said. "I brought you to the new and improved _Ned's_ Grand Reopening."

"Somebody bought it?," Chloe said excitedly.

"Not someboday," Beca said. "We. We bought it."

"What?," Chloe said. "When? How?"

"I got the idea when we were here for Thanksgiving," Beca said. "After you told me about your job and us moving back here, I talked to my dad and he thought it was a good investment. So, I worked with Karen, and I bought it."

Chloe hugged and kissed Beca.

"So, this is what all those secretive phone calls for the past month have been about," Chloe said.

"Yeah," Beca said. "My dad and Sheila have been overseeing all the renovations and stuff so we'd have it up and running by Christmas. Wait until you see the inside."

Beca grabbed Chloe's hand and led her to the door. Just as they were about to go inside, Fat Amy came out.

"Hey, boss," Fat Amy cried.

"Boss?," Chloe asked.

"Yeah," Beca said. "Several of the Bellas work for us. Fat Amy is our Manager. Bumper and Lily are handling security. We plan to serve lunch and dinner so Jessica and Ashley are our cooks. Oh, and I am the DJ. We also hired some bartenders and a few waitresses that attend Barden U."

"This is all so much to take in," Chloe said. "How did we afford all this?"

"The owner sold it to us dirt cheap," Beca said. "He wanted to get rid of it so bad that he practically paid us to take it off his hands.. I used the bonus the studio gave me to pay for most of the remodeling. Dad and Sheila kicked in some, and Amy and Bumper also put up some money and here we are."

"I can't believe it," Chloe said. "I want to see the inside."

"Let's go," Beca said and they followed Amy inside.

"Surprise!," all their friends yelled when they entered.

"Oh, my gosh," Chloe exclaimed. "Brey! Stacie! CR! Everybody's here!"

Chloe went over and was hugging everybody. Beca followed with a smile on her face.

"It looks fabulous," Chloe said when she finally stopped to take it all in. "I can't believe you got this all done in such a short amount of time."

"I enlisted Aubrey to help my dad and Sheila," Beca said.

"That would do it," Chloe said with a laugh.

"I have to get up to the DJ booth and get the party started," Beca said. "Come up and visit when you get a chance."

"I will," Chloe said and gave Beca a kiss before she ran off to the DJ booth.

Beca started playing her mixes and the dance floor was jumping. Chloe sat back and watched Beca in the DJ booth, loving how Beca looked so at home. She knew Beca loved her job in L.A., but she hadn't seen her his excited about DJing in a while. Chloe got a big smile on her face and went to bar before heading up to the DJ's booth.

"Hey," Beca said when she saw Chloe leaning in the doorway to the booth.

"I brought the DJ a drink," Chloe said handing Beca a beer.

"Thank you," Beca said and took a drink before setting it on the table. "Are you having a good time?"

"I'm having a great time," Chloe said putting her arms around Beca's waist and pulling her tight against her. "So, I was just wondering if you wanted to christen the new _Ned's_ the same way we christened the old _Ned's?_ "

Beca swallowed hard and looked at Chloe. Chloe bit her bottom lip and gave Beca a wink.

"Um," Beca stammered. "Let me queue up some songs and I'll meet you in the bathroom in five."

Chloe squealed and ran off. Beca just laughed and queued up enough songs to go for thirty minutes. She took off her headphones and headed for the bathroom. She entered and found Chloe standing there waiting for her.

"Ready to make some new memories?," Chloe asked and motioned Beca toward her.

"Merry Christmas to me," Beca said with a smile and pushed Chloe into the nearest stall.

A few minutes later Stacie and Aubrey enter the bathroom.

"Oh, my God," Aubrey says when she hears moaning. "Is that Beca and Chloe?"

"Yeah, it is!," Stacie says with a laugh. "It wouldn't be _Ned's_ if Beca and Chloe weren't doing it in the bathroom."

* * *

 **There you go, Zap. Hope it meets with your approval.**


	12. All I Want For Christmas Is You

**Guest prompt: Can you do one where Chloe and Aubrey make a bet that they can get with their crushes before Christmas. And Stacie and Beca find out about the bet, so they get back at them and make them jealous. This makes Chloe and Aubrey confess their true feelings to them.**

* * *

"Do you need a towel?," Chloe asked her best friend.

"What?," Aubrey asked confused.

"I asked if you needed a towel," Chloe said with a laugh. "To wipe the drool off your chin."

"Ha ha," Aubrey said. "I can't help it. Look at her. She's gorgeous."

"Yeah, she's pretty hot," Chloe said. "I've been eying the girl standing next to her. She looks kind of badass. And, she's really hot!"

"Well, let's get them to audition and see if they can sing," Aubrey said. "I swear if that girl can sing, she'll be mine by Christmas."

Chloe just laughed as the she watched the two girls.

"Hey, Stace," Beca said. "Are those two with the Bellas? That blonde and redhead over by that table?"

"Yeah," Stacie said. "The blonde is Aubrey Posen. She's the one who puked all over the stage last year in that video I showed you. The redhead, I believe, is her best friend. Her name is Chloe Beale."

"She's hot," Beca said.

"I know, right?" Stacie said. "I hope I get into the Bellas so I can get close to that. The hunter is going crazy right now."

"I didn't know you were into redheads," Beca said.

"I'm not," Stacie said. "I'm talking about Aubrey. The blonde."

"Thank God," Beca said whispering as they got closer to the Bellas table. "I'm kind of partial to the redhead. She's gorgeous. Do you think they'd go for a couple of Freshman like us?"

"I don't see why not," Stacie said. "We're both hot. They're both hot."

Their conversation was cut short when a flyer was thrust in front of them.

"Do you have any interest in joining our a capella group?," Chloe asked.

"Definitely," Stacie said. "Where do I sign up?"

Chloe handed her a clipboard with the sign-up sheet. Stacie took it and walks over to the table to fill it out. Which, coincidentally, put her right next to Aubrey.

"What about you?," Chloe asked Beca.

"Stacie's probably already taking care of signing me up," Beca responded.

"Good," Chloe said and smiled at Beca.

Beca chatted with Chloe but didn't have it in her to tell Chloe that she wasn't all that keen on the idea of being a Bella. Stacie was the one how had her heart set on it. And, since Beca and Stacie were not only cousins, but best friends as well, Beca promised to audition since they've pretty much done everything together since they could walk.

Stacie finished filling out the form for her and Beca to audition and handed the clipboard to Aubrey.

"Thank you," Aubrey said taking the clipboard. She looked down at it and then looked back up. "Are you Stacie or Beca?"

"I'm Stacie," Stacie said and then pointed at Beca talking to Chloe. "That's Beca. She's my cousin."

"Good to know," Aubrey said with a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Stacie. I'll see you at auditions."

It's the day of auditions and Stacie is nervous. Beca is fairly calm mainly because she doesn't care if she gets in. She's only doing it for Stacie. They both audition and things go really well. That night they are in their dorm room studying and talking when there is a knock on the door. Beca gets up to answer and a bag is thrown over head. Stacie rushes over to see what's going on and a bag is thrown over her head as well. Both girls struggle until they hear Chloe's voice telling them to calm down. They go through some sort of initiation and a welcome party. It's official; they were both Barden Bellas.

The first week of practice is tough and Beca is ready for a nice quiet evening.

"Let's go to the diner," Stacie said. "I'm starving."

"And, I'm tired," Beca said flopping down on her bed. "We finally have a few hours of do nothing time and that's what I plan to do - nothing."

"You have to eat," Stacie said and Beca just lays on her bed. "I'm buying."

"Why didn't you say so?," Beca said and gets up.

The two cousins make it to the diner and they sit in a booth near the back. They hear voices coming from the booth on the other side of the partition. The partition prevents them from seeing who is sitting there.

"So, what are the ground rules?," they hear a voice say from the booth next to them.

"Is that Chloe?," Beca whispers to Stacie.

"Sounds like it," Stacie whispers back.

"The ground rules are pretty basic," they hear a voice respond. "The first one to get asked to be their girlfriend, wins."

"That's Aubrey," Stacie whispers.

"What do I get if I win?," Chloe asks.

"I'll give you my dark blue cashmere sweater you like so much," Aubrey says. "What are you putting up?"

"My Louis Vuitton bag my parents gave me for my birthday last year," Chloe said.

"Nice. And, since your bag is worth so much more than my sweater," Aubrey said. "I'll include doing three research papers for you as part of the winnings."

"Even better," Chloe said. "So, to recap. If Stacie asks you to be her girlfriend first, you get my Louis Vuitton bag. If Beca to asks me first, I get your cashmere sweater and three research papers written for me. And it has to happen before Christmas. Deal?"

"Deal," Aubrey said.

"I almost don't care if you win this bet," Chloe says. "I really like Beca. I just hope she likes me, too."

"I really like Stacie, too," Aubrey said. "We she need to ask them out. If they says yes, then we have nothing to worry about."

"You're right," Chloe says. "I'm going to ask Beca out at practice tomorrow."

"Let's go," Aubrey says. "I need to study for a chem test."

Beca and Stacie are sitting with their mouths hanging open when they hear Chloe and Aubrey leave.

"They were betting on us becoming their girlfriends," Stacie said. "Seriously?"

"I really like Chloe," Beca said smiling. "Looks like she likes me, too."

"Same with me and Aubrey," Stacie said with a smile.

"Although, I can't believe they made a bet like that," Beca said.

"Are you talking about Chloe and Aubrey?," the waitress asked. "Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"No, that's okay," Stacie said. "What do you know about those two?"

"They're great girls," the waitress said. "But, they bet on everything. I heard them say something about how much they like these two girls. The next thing I hear is them making a bet about them becoming their girlfriends or something. It's almost like a sickness. Anyway, sorry to have kept you waiting. Are you ready to order?"

Stacie and Beca placed their orders and the waitress left them alone.

"So, they both like us," Stacie said, a smile growing on her face. "Let's mess with them."

"How?," Beca said.

"Let's make them jealous," Stacie said. "Make them tell us about the bet and actually tell us that they like us."

"How are we going to do that?," Beca asked.

"We go out with them when they ask," Stacie said. "Then, we turn them down a few times. We just say we already have plans and let them think we're going on a date with someone else."

"What if they want to know who we're seeing?," Beca said.

"We'll find someone to pretend to be our dates," Stacie said.

Beca reluctantly agrees to Stacie's plan. Although, she really likes Chloe and would have no problem with being her girlfriend, she doesn't like the idea that they bet on them. Hopefully, Stacie's plan doesn't backfire and bite them in the ass.

The next morning at practice, Beca and Stacie walk in together.

"Hey, Beca," Chloe says when she sees her. "Could I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure," Beca says walking over to the redhead. "What's up?"

"I was wondering if you were free tonight and would like to go out to dinner with me?," Chloe said.

"I'm totally free," Beca said with a smile. "And, I'd love to go out with you."

"Great," Chloe said with a smile. "It's a date. I'll pick you up at your dorm at 6:00. Dress casually."

"Okay, ladies," Aubrey says clapping to get everyone's attention. "Let's get started."

Beca walks over and gets into position. Practice goes well and everyone is packing up their stuff to leave.

"Chloe asked me out for tonight," Beca tells Stacie.

"That's great, Becs," Stacie said. "I guess the plan starts now."

They look up to see Aubrey and Chloe walking over to them.

"Hey, Stacie," Aubrey says. "Chloe told me she's going out with Beca tonight so I was wondering if you'd like to hang out. If you don't have other plans that is."

"Sounds like fun," Stacie said. "Why don't you come over when Chloe comes to pick up Beca? We can figure out something to do."

"Okay," Aubrey said. "See you then."

"See you later," Stacie said.

Beca and Stacie leave. Chloe and Aubrey show up on time to Beca and Stacie's. Stacie suggests that she and Aubrey stay in the dorm and watch Netflix. Beca and Chloe leave for their dinner date.

Beca's date goes really well. She and Chloe talk and learn a lot about each other. They spend a little over three hours at the Mexican restaurant Chloe chose. Chloe is walking Beca to her door and they both stop when they reach it.

"I had a really nice time," Chloe says.

"So did I," Beca tells her.

Chloe leans in and gives Beca a lingering kiss on the cheek. Beca smiles at her.

"I'd like to do it again sometime if you're interested," Chloe said.

"I'm definitely interested," Beca said.

"Good," Chloe said with a smile. "We'll talk later and make plans."

"I'd like that," Beca said. "Did you want to come in? It sounds like Aubrey might still be here."

"Okay," Chloe said and Beca opened the door.

With Stacie as a roommate, Beca expects to see certain things when she walks into her dorm room. But, what she wasn't expecting to see was Stacie and Aubrey making out on her bed.

"Dude, that's my bed!," Beca yells causing the couple to jump apart.

Chloe stood behind Beca trying not to laugh. Aubrey blushed and Stacie just smiled.

"So not cool, Stace," Beca said.

Chloe let out a small laugh at how cute she thought Beca was being all indignant.

Stacie is determined to get Aubrey to confess to the bet. She goes out with Aubrey several times, but also turns her down, saying she has other plans. Beca doesn't like it and only tells Chloe no when she does have something else going on. She can tell Aubrey is jealous, and maybe sees a hint or two that Chloe may be as well.

It was two weeks before Christmas and Beca and Chloe had just come back from another date. They were standing outside Beca's dorm room. Beca kissed Chloe and Chloe smiled at her.

"Are you free tomorrow?," Chloe said. "Aubrey and I are going to Sunday brunch and I know she was going to ask Stacie. Would you like to go with me?"

"I'd love to," Beca said.

The next day the girls are heading to brunch. Aubrey is driving with Stacie in the passenger seat. Beca and Chloe are in the back and Chloe takes Beca's hand and intertwines their fingers. She holds Beca's hand all the way to the restaurant. Once there, the girls are seated and Beca follows Stacie over to the omelet station.

"You have to give up this plan of yours," Beca tells Stacie. "Aubrey's not going to crack and tell you about the bet and I really, really like Chloe. Things are going great and I'm going to ask her to be my girlfriend."

Just then, a pretty blonde walked up and grabbed Beca in a hug and kissed her on the cheek.

"What the hell?," Beca said before looking at the girl. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Megan? What are you doing here?"

"I'm going to the art school in Atlanta," Megan said. "Marla came to visit and wanted to go to brunch. So here we are."

"Marla's here, too?," Stacie asked.

"Yeah," Megan said. "She went to the Ladies Room. I saw you guys and had to come say hi."

"What the hell?," Chloe mutters seeing some girl walk up and kiss Beca.

"Who's that?," Aubrey asked Chloe.

"I have no idea," Chloe said looking hurt.

"Wait, who's that?," Aubrey asks seeing another girl walk up to Stacie and give her a hug.

"Marla, how are you?," Stacie said.

"I'm good," Marla said. "You two look great. College life agrees with you."

Beca and Stacie are laughing and talking with Marla and Megan, when Beca glances over at Chloe.

"Um, Stacie," Beca said getting Stacie's attention. "Chloe and Aubrey are watching us and they look upset."

"Oh, my God," Stacie says. "They must be jealous."

"Why would they be jealous?," Marla said.

"We're her on a date with them," Stacie said. "They don't know that we know you. They probably just saw you guys hug us and thought it was something else."

Stacie explained about overhearing Chloe and Aubrey's bet. She said she'd been trying to make Aubrey jealous so she'd confess about the bet. She then asked for their help in kicking things up a notch.

"I'm game," Marla said. "How far do you want to take this?"

"Stacie," Beca said. "You're making a mistake. Please just stop now."

"Oh, hush," Stacie said. "I know what I'm doing."

Stacie turns to Marla and smiles at her.

"I'm going to put my arm around you and whisper in your ear," Stacie says to Marla. "Then you laugh and slap at me like I said something dirty or something."

Stacie did what she said and Marla played her part. Beca looked over at Aubrey and Chloe. Aubrey looked devastated.

"Stace," Beca said. "For serious. Stop. You don't want to do this. Aubrey looks really upset."

Stacie ignored Beca and continued 'flirting' with Marla. Beca just shook her head.

"Megan, come with me," Beca said. "I want to introduce you to Chloe."

"Beca, no," Stacie said grabbing her arm. "We have them right where we want them."

"I don't care," Beca said. "I want Chloe to be my girlfriend, not be mad at me. Come on, Megan."

Beca walked away with Megan and made her way over to Chloe.

"Hey, Chlo," Beca said smiling at the redhead.

"Yeah," Chloe said not looking at Beca.

"I just wanted to introduce you my friend, Megan Turner," Beca said. "She's one of my best friends from High School."

"Oh," Chloe said perking up. "It's nice to meet you, Megan."

"Nice to meet you, too," Megan said.

"Um, Aubrey," Beca said. "Are you okay?"

"What?," Aubrey asked looking away from where she was staring at Stacie. "I'm fine. Thanks."

"Don't worry about her," Beca said. "Marla's just a big flirt. Her and Stacie were the two biggest flirts in our high school and they were always trying to outdo each other. I guess some things never change."

Beca wasn't entirely lying to Aubrey. The two girls were very flirty. She was just trying to make Aubrey feel better.

"She's right," Megan spoke up. "I'd better go get Marla before she causes any trouble. She doesn't know how, or when, to dial it back."

Aubrey seemed to relax but was still watching Stacie. Beca mouthed a 'thank you' to Megan, who gave her a small smile.

"It was nice meeting you, Megan," Chloe said quietly. "I'd invite you to join us, but I think it might upset Aubrey. I'm sorry. I know you probably want to catch up with Beca."

"I totally understand," Megan said. "Maybe we can catch up over Christmas."

"Sorry, Megan," Beca said. "Stacie and I won't be going home for Christmas. Her folks are going on a cruise so we're going to hang out here."

"Well, another time then," Megan said. "It was really good to see you."

"Good to see you, too," Beca said and gave Megan a hug.

Megan walked over to Marla and Stacie.

"So, what happened?," Stacie asked.

Megan told Stacie what had happened and Stacie sighed.

"Maybe Beca was right and I should stop this," Stacie said. "I should probably get over there. It was really good to see you both."

Marla and Megan both hugged Stacie goodbye and went back to their table. Stacie got her omelet and walked over to their table.

"How weird is that we run into two friends from back home, here?," Stacie asked Beca as she sat down next to Aubrey.

"I know," Beca said. "I have to admit I did have a little crush on Megan. She's just so nice."

"Really?," Chloe said. "Did you ever tell her?"

"No," Beca said. "We were friends and I didn't want to mess that up."

"How about now?," Chloe asked. "Do you still have a crush on her?"

"Nope," Beca said. "I've got a serious crush on someone else now."

"How about you, Stacie?," Aubrey asked. "Did you have a crush on anyone?"

"Stacie had a crush on everyone," Beca said with a laugh. "Or should I say, everyone had a crush on Stacie."

"Shut up," Stacie said slapping at Beca across the table. "You make it sound like I was some kind of slut or something."

"Between Marla and Stacie," Beca said. "There wasn't a guy or girl who didn't have a crush on them. They flirted with everyone. Including a few teachers."

"Stacie!," Chloe said. "You little devil."

"It was just harmless fun," Stacie said. "And it was only the really old teachers. We made their day."

Chloe and Aubrey both laughed at this. Brunch was more relaxing and when they were done, Beca invited Chloe back to her dorm to listen to some of her mixes. Aubrey reminded Chloe of the paper she had due the next day so Chloe had to decline.

"Oh, um, okay," Beca said trying not to sound disappointed. "Some other time."

"Definitely," Chloe said with a smile.

Aubrey drove the girls to their dorm. Beca held Chloe back while Stacie and Aubrey continued on to their dorm room.

"I'm sorry," Beca said. "I know Stacie is going put the moves on Aubrey and I really don't want to see that again."

"Thanks for saving me from that," Chloe said laughing.

"So, um, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to be-"

Beca was cutoff by the sound of her phone ringing.

"I'm really sorry, but I have to take this," Beca said when she saw the caller ID. "What do you want?"

Chloe was a little taken aback at how harsh Beca sounded.

"I can't do that," Beca said.

Chloe moved away from Beca to give her some privacy, but she could still hear everything Beca said.

"No," Beca said. "I can't just get over it. You don't do what you did and tell me to get over it."

Chloe felt bad for Beca and then her heart dropped into her stomach when Beca spoke again.

"Of course I still love you," Beca said. "I just don't know if I can see you right now."

Beca ended the call and wiped a tear that had fallen.

"I'm sorry," Beca said walking over to Chloe. "I should get upstairs. Thanks for brunch. I had a really nice time."

Chloe started to say something but Aubrey came out of the building and asked if she was ready to go. Chloe just nodded her head.

"I'll see you at practice tomorrow, Beca," Chloe said as Beca walked into the dorm building.

"Yeah, okay," Beca said as the door closed.

Chloe followed Aubrey to the car. She looked back at the door Beca had entered with some concern and confusion. Who was Beca talking to?

Beca entered her dorm room to find Stacie sitting on her bed looking at her computer.

"Were you and your hot redhead locking lips?," Stacie asked with a laugh. "Did you ask her to be your girlfriend?"

Stacie's laughter stoped when she saw the look on Beca's face.

"What happened?," Stacie asked.

"Sarah called," was all Beca said.

"You okay, Chlo?," Aubrey asked when they got back to their apartment. "You haven't said a word since we left Beca."

"I think Beca's in love with someone else," Chloe said with a frown.

"Why do you think that?," Aubrey asked. "Is it because she said she was crushing on someone?"

"No," Chloe said. "I heard her talking on the phone. She said she loved whoever she was talking to. What am I going to do, Brey? I think I'm in love with her."

"Then go tell her," Aubrey said. "Fight for her."

"But she loves them," Chloe said. "How do I compete with that?"

"You're Chloe Freakin' Beale," Aubrey said. "The most confident person I know. Are you going to fight for her or just let her slip away because you're scared?"

"I'm going to fight," Chloe said emphatically. "I'm going over there right now and tell her how I feel and ask her to be my girlfriend. Let her know that I'm not going anywhere."

"Let's go," Aubrey said.

"You don't need to go, Brey," Chloe said with a laugh. "I can do this on my own."

"I know," Aubrey said. "But, I'm going to go and get myself a girlfriend, too."

"Okay, then. Let's do this," Chloe said and two very determined women left the apartment.

"What did she want?," Stacie asked.

"Same old stuff," Beca said. "Told me I should get over what happened. She left me, Stace. All alone in a bus station. I was four years old. What kind of mother does that?"

"I'm sorry, B," Stacie said holding her cousin.

"The worst part is," Beca said through her tears. "I still love her because she's my mom."

Stacie sat there and held Beca while she cried. She knew how much Sarah leaving Beca affected her. Stacie's own mom, Beth, hadn't spoken to Sarah for years. Beth couldn't believe that her own sister could leave Beca alone like that. They were just lucky that some kind older woman found Beca and was able to get enough information from her to call Beth to pick her up. Beca lived with them from that day on.

Beca's crying had quieted down and she had fallen asleep. Stacie got up when there was a knock on the door. She opened it to find Aubrey and Chloe standing there.

"We need to talk to you and Beca," Aubrey said.

"Now's not a good time," Stacie said. "Beca's asleep."

"Please, Stacie," Chloe said. "It's really important."

Their voices had woken Beca and she was sitting up on her bed.

"Let them in, Stacie," Beca said as she stood up.

Stacie looked at the two girls and stepped aside to let them in. Chloe saw that Beca had been crying and immediately went over to her.

"Are you okay?," Chloe asked.

"I am now," Beca said and lightly kissed Chloe on the lips.

"Wow," Chloe said. "I wasn't expecting that."

"I just wanted you to know how much I really, really like you," Beca said.

"What about the person on the phone earlier?," Chloe said looking down at the floor. "You told them you loved them."

Beca smiled and gave a little laugh.

"That was my mom," Beca said.

"Oh," Chloe said.

"Hey, Stacie," Beca called out and looked over where Stacie and Aubrey were talking quietly.

"Yeah," Stacie says.

"Have you asked Aubrey to be your girlfriend yet?," Beca asked causing both Aubrey and Chloe to gasp.

"Not yet," Stacie said with a smile.

"Good," Beca said pulling her close. "Chloe, will you be my girlfriend?"

"I would love to be your girlfriend," Chloe says and squeals.

Beca gives her a kiss and pulls back.

"I can't wait to see you in Aubrey's blue cashmere sweater," Beca says with a grin. "I bet it will bring out your eyes even more."

"Wait. What?," Chloe asked.

"How do you know about my sweater?," Aubrey asked Beca.

"We kind of heard you guys talking about your bet," Stacie said. "The one where you bet on who would ask who to be their girlfriends first. I'm sorry Beca beat me to it."

"So, you want to be my girlfriend?," Aubrey asked.

"Yes, I do," Stacie said. "Thanks for asking."

Beca and Chloe laughed at the look on Aubrey's face. They soon forgot about the other two girls when Chloe looked at Beca.

"So, since you have no plans for Christmas," Chloe said. "Do you want to come home to Tampa with me and spend Christmas with my family?"

"Seriously?," Beca asked.

"Yeah," Chloe said. "I'd love to have my family meet my girlfriend."

"Hear that, Stacie?," Beca called to her cousin. "I'm spending Christmas in Tampa, with my girlfriend!"

"You're invited too, Stacie," Chloe said. "Aubrey's coming."

"I'd love to," Stacie said and pulled Aubrey into a kiss.

"Hey," Beca said getting Chloe to look at her. "Is it too early to say I love you? Because, I really do love you."

"It's not too early for me," Chloe said with a laugh. "I love you, too."

Beca smiled and pulled Chloe into a kiss. Chloe tightened her arms around Beca's neck and deepened the kiss. Chloe pulled back and looked at Beca.

"Want to come over to my place and unwrap me?," Chloe whispered. "You could consider me an early Christmas present."

"Damn," Beca said pulling Chloe in for another kiss. "There really is a Santa Claus!"

* * *

 **There have been a lot of requests for more pregnant Beca. Be on the lookout for it tomorrow.**


	13. Merry Christmas and Happy Birth Day

**I've received several prompts wanting another fic about pregnant Beca at Christmas. Here it is as promised.**

* * *

It was two days before Beca and Chloe Mitchell's annual Christmas Eve get together. It was really just another excuse to get all the Bellas together since just about all of them were now living in and around L.A. Beca and Chloe's house was the biggest so they, meaning Chloe, volunteered to host every year. This year was no exception.

"I swear to God if this baby doesn't get out of me soon," Beca growled as she paced back and forth. "I'm going down to the hospital and take a scalpel to myself."

"Will you please calm down," Chloe said. "And stop saying things like that. It scares me."

"You don't understand," Beca said stopping to look at Chloe. "This child is already four days overdue. Do you know what that means? It means I have a four day old child living inside me!"

Chloe choked back a laugh. She knew Beca was just frustrated and ready to not be pregnant anymore. It just seemed like their boy was just as stubborn as his mother and would join them when he was darned good and ready.

"Come help me wrap gifts," Chloe said. "It'll take your mind off of things."

"Fine," Beca said and followed Chloe into her 'wrapping room.'

"Here," Chloe said handing Beca to a couple of gifts. "These are for Stacie."

Beca wrapped the gifts and put a tag on them.

"Oomph," Beca said and grabbed her lower belly.

"Are you okay?," Chloe asked immediately.

"Yeah," Beca said. "Your son just kicked me and now I have to pee, again."

Beca got up and left the room to go to the bathroom. She came back a few minutes later.

"All done," Chloe said. "I'll just put these under the tree."

'I'll be down in a minute," Beca said. "I'm just going to clean up our mess."

"I'll get that later," Chloe said. "Don't worry about it."

"I got it," Beca said.

Chloe goes downstairs. Beca cleans up and heads down as well. She looks around as she goes to find Chloe.

"The place really does look nice, babe," Beca said. "You did a great job with the decorating."

"Thank you, Becs," Chloe said and kissed her wife. "Now let's go through our list and see what we still need to do."

"You can mark off the music," Beca said. "I have a boatload of mixes ready."

"Okay," Chloe said marking it off the list. "It looks like most of the stuff left to do is for the day of the party. Let's see, Aubrey and Stacie are picking up the beverages. The table centerpieces I ordered will be ready for pickup at 10:00, and the caterers will be here at 3:00 to have time to set up."

"Explain to me again why we're using a caterer this year," Beca said.

"Because we agreed that with a new baby," Chloe said. "It would be too much for us to do everything ourselves."

"Right," Beca said. "The baby that will be 7 days overdue at the time of the party. I will be walking around with a 7 day old child inside me."

"Will you try to find your Christmas spirit?," Chloe said. "We're going to be parents, our friends will be here to celebrate Christmas with us, and I love you. That should be enough to make you feel better."

"I'll try," Beca said and went to lie down for a while.

Chloe came in about 30 minutes later and finds Beca sitting up with her back against the headboard. She had a book propped up on her stomach.

"Did you straighten up in here?," Chloe said as she looked around their bedroom.

"Yeah," Beca said. "I've also been reading about natural ways to get labor started."

"Oh, yeah," Chloe said. "What kind of stuff do they suggest."

Chloe sits next to Beca on the bed and puts her head on Beca's shoulder to see what she's reading.

"Sex, for one" Beca said. "It helps release oxytocin which can jump start uterine contractions. Their words, not mine."

"Sex, huh?," Chloe asks with a grin on her face.

"Totes," Beca says with a smirk. "How about it?"

"I'm all for speeding up the labor process," Chloe says and pulls Beca into a kiss.

Chloe move Beca's hair back and kisses her neck.

"Oh, and nipple stimulation," Bec says with a moan. "That can help, too."

Chloe smiles and 'stimulates' Beca's nipples. She then proceeds to give Beca a mind-blowing orgasm. Chloe smiles and lays next to Beca while Beca is trying to catch her breath.

"Damn, babe," Beca said. "That was awesome."

"I'm going to fix some lunch," Chloe said. "Do you want anything special?"

"Grilled cheese with pickles," Beca said.

"Got it," Chloe said getting up. "Want me to bring it to you here?"

"No, thanks," Beca said. "I'll come downstairs after I make the bed."

Chloe gives Beca a quick kiss. She then kisses Beca's stomach and the lays her cheek against it.

"Today is a really good day to be born," Chloe says and feels the baby kick her cheek. "Just sayin'."

Beca is downstairs laying on the sofa. Chloe fixes her a grilled cheese with pickles and brings it to her. Beca lays the plate on her stomach and takes a bite of the sandwich, putting it back on the plate.

"Won't that fall?," Chloe asks, pointing to Beca's plate.

"Nope," Beca said. "Best table in the house."

Later that afternoon, Beca is walking up and down the stairs because she read that exercise was also a natural way to stimulate labor. She is starting to breathe a little heavier and decides to lay on the sofa for a while. Chloe sits with her and puts Beca's legs over her lap. She puts her head on Beca's stomach and starts talking to the baby.

"Hey, Charlie," Chloe says. "This is your momma. We are so excited for you to be out here with us. Mommy's feeling kind of cranky so the sooner the better."

Chloe lays her head on Beca's stomach. She can feel him move and she smiles and looks at Beca.

"I think he's listening," Chloe said.

For dinner that night, Beca asked Chloe to order Chinese for dinner. She ordered the General Tso's Chicken, extra spicy. She read that eating spicy foods could also help initiate labor.

The next day Beca was even more frustrated. She had tried almost everything she had read that could help initiate labor and nothing worked. She was getting dressed.

"Chloe!," Beca yells. "Chloe, can you come here? I need some help."

"What is it?," Chloe says as she runs into the bedroom.

"I can't get my shoes on," Beca whines.

Chloe helps her put her shoes on and takes her hands to help her stand. She gives Beca a quick peck on the lips. Beca follows Chloe downstairs. Chloe makes them breakfast and Beca makes Chloe sit down while she cleans their breakfast dishes. Chloe asks Beca if she wants to take a walk. They walk around the neighbor and stop for a while at the park.

"I think our Charlie will look like that little boy over there," Chloe says pointing out a small brown-haired boy.

"He's so cute," Beca said. "I can see why you'd say that. But, we did select a donor who had red hair. So, he might look more like me but with your hair. That would be pretty cool."

They make their way back home and Chloe fixes them a light lunch. Beca puts the plate on her stomach again. Chloe laughs when she sees the plate bounce and Beca grabbing for it.

"Charlie just kicked me," Beca said with a laugh.

"I don't think he likes you using him as a table," Chloe says.

Later that afternoon, Beca is sitting on the sofa and decides to turn on the TV. Chloe comes in and sits next to her. Beca snuggles into Chloe and puts her head on Chloe's shoulder.

"What are we watching?," Chloe asks.

"I don't care," Beca said. "Maybe we could just Netflix and chill."

Chloe laughed. "You do know what that really means, right?"

"I said what I said," Beca says with a smile and lightly ran her hand up Chloe's thigh.

"Are you trying to seduce me, Mrs. Mitchell?," Chloe asked teasingly.

"I don't know," Beca says holding back a smile. "Is it working?"

"It's definitely working," Chloe says as she kisses Beca and pushes her back on the sofa.

Later as they laid snuggled together Chloe lets out a contented sigh.

"What?," Beca asked.

"I'm just happy," Chloe said. "I always knew I wanted to be a mom. Although, until I was sixteen, I always pictured me pregnant with my husband standing beside me."

"Oh, yeah," Beca said. "What did he look like?"

"Oh, it varied," Chloe said. "He usually looked like whatever singer or actor I was crushing on at the time."

Beca laughed and said. "I honestly never thought of myself as being pregnant. I always pictured my wife as the one carrying our baby."

"And what did she look like?," Chloe asked.

"Michelle Pfeiffer from _Grease 2_ ," Beca said. "She's was hot and badass."

"I have to agree with you on that," Chloe said. "Want go for a walk?"

"Not really," Beca said covering a yawn. "I think I'll take a nap."

"Okay," Chloe said. "I'm going to start dinner. I'll wake you when it's ready."

"M'kay," Beca mumbles as she drifts off to sleep.

Beca woke with a start. She felt a little pang in her stomach. She waited to see if it happened again but nothing did.

"Maybe it's just all the spicy food I've been eating," Beca thought to herself. "Speaking of food, whatever Chloe is making smells really good."

Beca gets up and walks (cough*waddles*cough) into the kitchen.

"Oh, hey babe," Chloe said. "I was just coming to wake you. Dinner's ready."

"Mmm, chicken alfredo," Beca said. "My favorite."

"I know," Chloe said. "Gotta keep my woman happy in case Michelle Pfeiffer comes a'knockin'."

"Ha ha," Beca said. "Do we have any Sriracha?"

"Seriously?," Chloe asked.

"Yeah," Beca said. "Ever since I read eating spicy food might help induce labor, I've been craving spicy stuff."

"No, Sriracha," Chloe said looking in the cupboard. "We have some hot sauce."

"I'll take it," Beca said taking the bottle from Chloe. "Thanks."

Later than night, Beca was awakened by another sharp pain in her lower belly. She sat up and held her stomach but the pain was gone as quickly as it had come. She got up and went to the bathroom. She wiped down the counter and straightened the towels before getting into bed and going back to sleep.

"Merry Christmas Eve," Chloe yells as she comes into the bedroom.

Beca opens one eye and looks at her.

"Too loud and too early," Beca says.

"It's nine a.m.," Chloe says. "I let you sleep in but we have things to do, so get up."

"I don't feel so good," Beca says whining. "I don't think I should have put hot sauce on my alfredo."

"Are you okay?," Chloe asked climbing on to the bed and laying next to Beca. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, thanks," Beca said. "Charlie was active during the night so I didn't sleep well. Can I just rest for a bit longer?"

"Of course," Chloe said kissing Beca's cheek.

Chloe got up and took Beca's phone off the charger. She handed Beca her phone.

"I need to do some stuff for the party," Chloe said. "I have to go out and get the centerpieces for the tables. I should only be gone about an hour and then I'll be downstairs until it's time to get ready. Text me if you need me. Okay?"

"Okay," Beca said. "Thanks, babe."

Chloe goes to leave and stops at the door. She looks back at Beca. Beca has already closed her eyes and has a hand holding her lower belly. Chloe smiles and quietly leaves. She heads out and gets the centerpieces. She checks on Beca when she gets back home and finds her sleeping so Chloe goes back downstairs to set up the tables with the centerpieces she picked up.

It was 1:00 and Chloe goes to check on Beca. She finds Beca sitting up with her headphones on. Beca sees her and takes her headphones off.

"You seem to be feeling better," Chloe says sitting next to her on the bed.

"Yeah, I do, actually," Beca said.

"Are you hungry?," Chloe asked. "You haven't eaten anything yet today."

"Can we have something light?," Beca said. "I don't want to spoil my appetite for the amazing food we're going to have at the party."

"I'll make up a quick salad," Chloe said. "Feel up to coming down to eat?"

"Yeah," Beca said. "Help me up, please?"

"Of course, my love," Chloe said and helped Beca to her feet and gave her quick peck on the lips.

"Oh," Beca said and grabbed her lower belly. "I have to pee."

Beca goes into the bathroom. She comes back out a few minutes later.

"Ready," Beca said and she and Chloe went downstairs.

Chloe is putting together the salad and Beca is sitting at the counter. Beca is squirming and can't seem to get comfortable on the stool.

"Why don't you go get comfortable on the sofa," Chloe says. "I'll bring the salad once it's together."

"Thank you," Beca says and goes out to the living room.

Beca feels a pain in her lower back as she goes to sit down. She puts her hand on the spot and rubs it. She sits and tries to find a comfortable position. She finally opts to lay with her head on the arm of the sofa. She turns a bit on her right side and finally sighs as she finds a comfortable position. Chloe brings in her salad and Beca sits up. She puts the plate on her stomach and takes a bit of her salad. She grimaces as she feels slight pain in her lower back.

"You okay?," Chloe asked.

"What? Oh, yeah," Beca said. "Just sitting up isn't very comfortable."

"Well, finish your salad," Chloe said. "Then you can lay back down."

"Will you lay with me?," Beca asked.

"Sure, I can lay with you for a little bit," Chloe said.

They finished their salads and Chloe took their plates to the kitchen. She came back and Beca was trying to find a comfortable position.

"Here," Chloe said and laid back against the arm of the sofa. "Lay between my legs and use me as a pillow."

Beca did as Chloe said and she got comfortable. She let out a sigh.

"Better?," Chloe asked.

"Much," Beca replied.

Chloe ran her fingers through Beca's hair and it wasn't long before Beca was asleep. Chloe sat there, just relaxing with Beca. They had been laying there for about an hour when the doorbell rang.

"Babe," Chloe said trying to wake Beca. "The caterers are here. I need you to sit up so I can answer the door."

Beca opens her eyes and pushes herself up.

"Okay," Beca says. "I have to pee anyway."

They both get up and Chloe goes to let the caterer in. She leads them to the kitchen and discusses how and where she wants the food set up. She goes to check on Beca and she is sitting on the sofa.

"I won't be in the way here, will I?," Beca asks. "I can go upstairs."

"No, you're fine," Chloe says. "I'd rather have you down here where I can keep an eye on you. You look a little pale."

"I feel fine," Beca reassured her. "But, I'll stay here. I'm just going to find something to watch."

"I'll watch with you," Chloe said. "The caterer is doing their thing and they know where I am if they need anything."

"Good," Beca said.

Chloe and Beca settled down and decided to watch "Grey's Anatomy" on Netflix. The caterer came out a few times with some questions, but they were left alone for the most part. It was now almost 5:30 and Chloe suggested they start getting ready for the party. Stacie and Aubrey were arriving at 7:00 to bring the beverages.

Chloe leads Beca upstairs and tells her to get in the shower first. While Beca does that, Chloe lays out their outfits on the bed. Beca comes out, wrapped in a towel. She is holding her stomach and Chloe looks at her.

"I'm fine," Beca said. "Go take your shower."

Chloe hesitates for a minute but then goes into the bathroom. Beca dries her hair and goes over to the bed to start getting dressed. She reaches for her bra and feels a sharp in her lower belly. She puts her hand where the pain is and it takes almost a minute before the pain subsides.

"Wow," Beca said.

Beca manages to get her bra and panties on when she is hit with another pain. She sits on the bed, one hand on her lower back and the other holding her side.

"Chloe!," Beca calls out and Chloe comes rushing out of the bathroom.

"What's wrong?," Chloe asks.

"I think I might be in labor," Beca says.

"Oh, my gosh," Chloe says. "I'm going to call Dr. Montgomery to see if we need to take you to the hospital now."

Chloe gets on the phone and Dr. Montgomery tells her its sounds like Beca may be in the early stages of labor. That unless the pains are less than five minutes a part they have awhile, especially if her water hasn't broken.

"What should we do?," Chloe asked.

"For now, nothing," Dr. Montgomery tells her. "You should take her to the hospital when her water breaks, or she is having steady contractions every five minutes, or less, that last for about a minute."

Chloe thanked the doctor and hung up. She looked at Beca who had finished dressing and seemed to be fine.

"Let me know when you feel another contraction," Chloe said. "Or if your water breaks."

"Okay," Beca said. "I'm okay now. It's been over 20 minutes since I last felt anything."

Beca and Chloe finish getting ready. They head downstairs just as the doorbell rings and Stacie and Aubrey arrive.

"Hey, Beca," Stacie says. "Are you okay? You look a little anxious."

"I'm kind of in labor," Beca said. "Early stages so nothing to worry about yet."

"Oh, my God," Stacie squeals. "You're going to have a Christmas baby."

"You're in labor?," Aubrey asks. "Shouldn't you be on your way to the hospital?"

"No," Chloe says. "We called Dr. Montgomery and she said we didn't need to go yet. I just have to keep an eye on her."

"We'll help you watch her," Stacie said. "What do we need to look for?"

"Well, the obvious thing is her water breaking," Chloe said. "The other is how often she has a contraction. When they become steady and five minutes apart, we need to go."

"Got it," Stacie said.

The party is in full swing and Beca seems to be doing okay. She does have a few pains here and there. The only thing constant is the pain in her lower back. She is in the kitchen bent over from a really strong pain that came about five minutes after the last one. She thinks it might be time to really start timing them better. She goes back out to the party to find Chloe but runs into Fat Amy first.

"Hey, shortstack," Amy says stumbling a little. "Too bad you can't drink. My surprise punch is better than ever."

Amy starks poking at Beca's stomach.

"Stop it," Beca says smacking at Amy's hands.

"It's so hard," Amy says still poking. "I thought it would be soft and mushy."

"Ahhhh," Beca yells through gritted teeth.

"Amy, what did you do?," Stacie asks rushing over.

"Nothing," Amy says. "I was just poking her."

"Amy, go get Chloe," Stacie said and the blonde Aussie staggered off. "Becs, are you having a contraction?"

"Yesssss," Beca said. "I just had one about five minutes ago in the kitchen."

"I think it's time to go to the hospital," Stacie says looking around for Chloe.

"Not yet," Beca says. "Not until my water-"

"Becs?," Stacie asks. "What-. Oh, my God. CHLOE!"

Chloe was talking to Jessica and Ashley when she heard Stacie scream out her name. Her head whips around and she sees Stacie holding Beca's arm.

"Oh, shit," Chloe says and rushes over to Beca. "Ewww."

"My water broke," Beca said.

At this point everybody is surrounding the couple offering words of encouragement to Beca.

"Okay," Chloe said. "Let's go. Stace, could you go up and get her hospital bag from the closet? Brey, help me get her to the car. The rest of you, just enjoy the party. We'll call as soon as we know something."

Everyone clears a path and Aubrey and Chloe are helping Beca out to the car. Stacie comes rushing down as they get to the door.

"I'll drive," Stacie says and opens her car door. "Brey, maybe you should stay and keep the party from getting out of hand."

"Good idea," Aubrey said. "I'll bring Chloe's car to the hospital after everyone goes home."

Chloe gets in the backseat with Beca, and Stacie heads for the hospital. Chloe calls Dr. Montgomery to let her know what was going on and tells her that they were on the way to the hospital. Dr. Montgomery said she would see them there.

Chloe leads Beca into the hospital with Stacie following behind carrying Beca's bag. The nurse greets them and takes them to a birthing room. She and another nurse get Beca set up with a fetal monitor and take her blood pressure and temperature.

"Dr. Montgomery called ahead," one of the nurses. "She should be here shortly."

The nurse went back over to check the monitors. Beca grabs her stomach and lets out a groan.

"This is a strong one," the nurse says. She times it and watches the monitor closely.

Chloe is standing by Beca's bed holding her hand.

"This is it, babe," Chloe says with a tear in her eye. "Charlie will be here for Christmas."

Dr. Montgomery comes into the birthing room and checks with the nurse before checking Beca.

"Okay, Beca," Dr. Montgomery says. "Let's see what's happening?"

Dr. Montgomery does a pelvic check and raises her eyebrows in surprise.

"How long have you been in labor?," Dr. Montgomery asks.

"I guess since this morning," Beca said. "I started feeling some pains last night, but nothing substantial until this morning."

"Well, I think you actually started last night," Dr. Montgomery says. "You're already 8 cm dilated and 100% effaced."

"Really?," Beca and Chloe both exclaim.

"Really," Dr. Montgomery tells them. "Looks like you'll be mothers soon."

Aubrey joins them, letting them know that a few of the Bellas were staying at the house because they were too drunk to drive home. Other than that, everything was cleaned up so they didn't have to worry about that when they got home.

The nurse continues to monitor Beca's contractions and they are getting closer and much stronger. Dr. Montgomery comes in and examines Beca.

"Get ready, ladies," the doctor says. "We're about to deliver a baby."

Things start moving at a faster pace. Chloe is holding Beca's hand and whispering words of comfort to her. Dr. Montgomery is telling Beca to push. Beca pushes and screams. Chloe holds her hand and continues cheering her on.

"I need one more big push from you, Beca," Dr. Montgomery tells her. "You're almost there."

"Come on, Becs," Chloe says. "One big push. Baby, you can do it!"

"I can't," Beca says as she lays back exhausted. "No more."

"Come on, Beca," Dr. Montgomery says. "Just one more big push and you'll see your son."

"Okay," Beca says and pushes with everything she has.

"He's out," Dr. Montgomery says and Beca flops back on the bed. "Chloe, do you want to cut the umbilical cord?"

"Yes," Chloe says and takes the scissors from Dr. Montgomery.

"Right there," the doctor points out and Chloe makes the cut.

She goes back up to Beca's side with tears streaming down her face.

"He's beautiful, Becs," Chloe says.

The nurse wraps Charlie up and hands him to Beca.

"Look at him," Beca said through her tears. "He does look like me."

"Yeah, he does," Chloe says. "And he'll be a badass, just like his mommy."

"He is a Christmas baby," Stacie said pointing to the clock.

"Well, then allow me to make proper introductions," Chloe said. "Aubrey and Stacie, may we present to you, your Godson, Charles Adam Mitchell. Born at 12:18 am on December 25, 2017."

Chloe hands Charlie to Aubrey. Stacie looks over Aubrey's shoulder at their Godson.

"Merry Christmas, Charlie," Aubrey says.

"And, Happy Birth Day," Stacie says.


	14. Santa Comes Through

**Guest prompt [I condensed the prompt a little but here is the basic idea for the story]: Can you do one with Beca as a soldier and it's been 3 years since she saw her wife, Chloe, and her daughter. On Christmas Chloe hears news of an attack where Beca is supposed to be.**

* * *

Corporal Beca Mitchell walked through the halls of the American Embassy in bumfuck nowhere Syria. She had been sent for by her Sargeant and Beca was worried. There was an ISIS stronghold not too far from the Embassy that intelligence operatives could never get a strong fix on. Whenever they thought they were close, their location changed. There had been too many close calls against the Embassy and her fear was that more trouble was brewing. Her men were tired and so was she. She got to the Sargean'ts door and stopped. She straightened her uniform and knocked.

"Enter," she hears the Sargeant call out.

She enters and closes the door. She stands at attention.

"You sent for me, Sargeant," Beca stated.

"At ease, Corporal," the Sargeant tells her.

Beca stands with her feet apart and her arms behind her back.

"Relax, Beca," the Sargeant says with a smile. "You can cut the formalities now that we're alone. We're married to each other's best friends for God's sake and have known each other forever."

"Thanks, Aubrey," Beca says with a smile and relaxes. "So, what's up?"

"Well, I have some good news for the both of us," Aubrey tells her. "We're going home."

"Area you shitting me?," Beca asked.

"Nope," Aubrey says. "I just got our orders. They're bringing in Special Forces to take over here since it looks like ISIS is planning something really big. They want us all out of here before that happens. Our men will be transported out over the next twenty-four hours. You and I are scheduled for pickup in 2 days time. We'll be home in time for Christmas."

Beca fought back tears. She hadn't seen her wife, Chloe, in 3 years. Which is also the last time she saw her daughter, Sophie. Sophie was only a month old when she began this special deployment. She's had to watch her grow up via skype and videos that Chloe made for her.

"I can't believe it," Beca said. "Chloe and Stacie are going to be beyond surprised when we both show up on Chloe's parents doorstep for Christmas."

"Believe it," Aubrey said handing Beca an envelope. "Oh, and these are yours."

"What are these?," Beca said opening the flap.

"Discharge papers," Aubrey said. "You're done."

"What?," Beca said. "But how? I know I regret doing it, but I already submitted my papers for another tour."

"Well, your papers may have accidentally, on purpose, not been submitted to HQ," Aubrey said.

"Aubrey," Beca said.

"Save it," Aubrey said. "This came from the top. Command Sargeant Major Adams sent your papers back and ordered that they not be resubmitted. He's also the one who expedited your discharge."

"I don't know what to say," Beca said. "Chloe's going to be ecstatic."

"You're not the only one who's done," Aubrey said. "I'll be joining you in civilian life. My tour is done and I'm not coming back."

Beca hugged Aubrey and patted her on the back.

"This is cause for a major celebration," Beca said. "I can't wait to tell Chloe."

"Hold up," Aubrey said. "I think we should surprise everybody and just show up on Christmas."

"I like that idea," Beca said. "But, shouldn't we tell at least one person?"

"We can let Charlie know," Aubrey said. "We can even have him pick us up at the airport."

"I can't believe this is happening," Beca said. "I need to start packing up."

Two days later, Beca and Aubrey were more than ready to go home.

"Corporal Mitchell the transport chopper is leaving with or without you," Aubrey yelled. "You've got 60 seconds to get on it or be stuck here for at least another 30 days."

"Yes, Sargeant," Beca replied as she grabbed her duffel bag and hauled ass behind Aubrey to the chopper.

Beca jumped on the chopper and buckled herself in. She looked over at Aubrey and gave her a smile and thumbs up. Soon the chopper took off and they were on their way. The chopper flew them to a nearby airbase where they hopped on board a cargo plane to Germany. Once in Germany they would transfer to a civilian flight to New York, connecting to a flight that will finally get them to Tampa on Christmas morning. With wait times between possible flights, it was going to take them 24-27 hours to get home.

Beca dragged her duffel bag through the terminal at JFK. They had a 6:30 am flight and it was only 5:15 and they had just gotten in from Germany. She and Aubrey hurried to their gate to get checked in and then hit Starbucks for a much needed caffeine fix.

"I just texted Charlie to let him know were are on schedule," Beca said. "I'm sure he'll text me when he gets the message."

"I can't believe that in just about 4 hours we'll be home," Aubrey said. "I'm looking forward to sleeping in a bed with real sheets. And towels that smell like the rain."

"I'd like nothing better than a nice hot shower and some clean civilian clothes right about now," Beca said.

"Roger that," Aubrey said.

It was almost 8:00 when Chloe Mitchell was awakened by two very loud and very awake 5-year-olds.

"Wake up everybody," Lucy Posen shouted. "It's Christmas."

"Santa came!," Lucy's twin sister, Lauren, shouted as well.

"Well, at least they didn't wake us up at 5:30 like last year," Chloe mumbled to herself.

Three-year-old Sophie Mitchell sat up and started yelling and clapping as well.

"Soph," Chloe said. "Quiet down please. The twins are making enough noise."

Chloe gets out of bed and picks Sophie up.

"Santa?," Sophie asked.

"Yep," Chloe said putting Sophie down. "Santa came. Let's go potty and then we can go see what Santa brought us. Okay?"

"Yay," Sophie squealed and clapped.

Chloe took Sophie into the bathroom and let her use the toilet. She changed her training pants and told her to wait in the bedroom for her so Chloe could use the bathroom and brush her teeth. Chloe finished in the batrhoom and went into the bedroom. She took Sophie's hand and they made their way downstairs where everyone else was waiting.

"Merry Christmas, girls," Charlotte Beale said when she saw them.

"Merry Christmas, mom," Chloe said.

"Merry Chismas, gan-maw," Sophie said.

Chloe led Sophie over to sit with the twins by the tree.

"Is there coffee?," Chloe asked her mother.

"Of course," Charlotte said. "Come help me get breakfast together."

"Okay," Chloe said. "Remember Sophie. No presents until after breakfast, okay?"

"Kay, Mommy," Sophie said.

Chloe poured coffee for her and her mom. She put some sugar in the sugar bowl and set it on the counter. Charlotte takes out the breakfast casseroles she prepared the night before and put them in the oven.

"Carl, turn that off," Charlotte yelled when she heard the TV come on.

"The kids want to watch the Christmas shows," Carl Beale shouts back.

"That better be all they watch," Charlotte warns.

"Yes, dear," Carl murmurs.

Chloe laughs and Stacie comes into the kitchen.

"Can I help?," Stacie asked. "The kids are all waiting impatiently for breakfast so they can get at the gifts."

"They won't have to wait long," Charlotte says. "The Christmas casserole should be ready in about 30 minutes. Can you grab the coffee creamer out of the fridge?"

"Got it," Stacie says and goes over to the fridge.

Chloe poured Stacie a coffee and handed it to her.

"Hey, guys," Charlie said as he entered the kitchen. "I have to run out for a bit. You can let the girls open their presents without me. The rest of you can wait until I get back."

"Where are you going?," Charlotte asked her youngest child.

"Jake called," Charlie told them. "His car broke down on his way to Tracy's and he asked if I could come get him and take him there. The auto club said it would be like 4 or 5 hours before they could get to him because they were short-handed. He doesn't want to miss seeing the kids for Christmas."

"Alright then," Charlotte said. "Give him our best and tell him Merry Christmas."

"Will do, mom," Charlie said. "I should be back in a couple of hours. Save me some Christmas casserole."

Charlie kisses his mom's cheek before he heads out the door. He is all smiles as he starts the car and heads towards the airport.

Aubrey and Beca were sitting in First Class. An older couple saw them get on the plane and immediately spoke to a stewardess and wanted to change seats with them. They tried to decline the generous offer but nearly everyone around them argued they should take the exchange so they did. They both disliked being the center of attention and found it easier to relax in First Class because there were fewer people. Aubrey is sleeping and Beca is listening to some music on her phone. Beca's phone started acting weird and when she looked at it she noticed she was down to on 3% on her battery.

"Shit," Beca mumbled. She turned her phone off and decided to try and get some sleep. She dozed lightly but kept thinking of the looks on Chloe and Sophie's faces when she saw them.

The kids were playing with their presents and the adults were laughing and chatting. Chloe had Sophie on her lap.

"Did Santa bring you everything you asked for?," Chloe asked Sophie.

"No," Sophie said with a sad smile. "But, that's okay. Maybe next Chismas."

"That's a very grown up thing to say," Chloe said kissing Sophie on the cheek.

Sophie got down off Chloe's lap and went to play with Lucy and Lauren. They were squealing and giggling. The adults grew quiet when they heard the news suddenly come on in the middle of a show.

 _We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news out of Syria. The American Embassy has been overtaken by ISIS insurgents. Approximately 30 minutes ago a call for assistance was made from inside the Embassy. We will update with more information as it becomes available._

Chloe's coffee cup fell from her grasp. Her hand was in front of her mouth as she watched the news report.

"Oh, my God," Stacie whispers.

Tears came to both Chloe and Stacie's eyes. The American Embassy in Syria was where Beca and Aubrey were stationed.

"Hey, girls," Charlotte said to Sophie and the twins. "How about we get grandpa Carl to make his famous hot chocolate. And you girls can help him."

"Yeah," Carl says. "Last one in the kitchen doesn't get any marshmallows."

The three young girls squeal and hurry into the kitchen. Charlotte closes the kitchen door and hurries back over to Chloe and Stacie. She sits between them on the couch and puts an arm around each of their shoulders. She pulls them to her.

"Let's not panic," Charlotte said trying to stay calm for the girls. "We have to believe they are okay. Let's think only good thoughts. Okay?"

She gently rocked the two women as they both let their tears fall from not knowing what was happening with their wives. The continued to listen to the news.

 _We have just received reports that there was no indication that anyone was able to evacuate from the Embassy before it was overtaken. We don't know if there are any casualties inside the Embassy. At this point, it would just be speculation. We will continue to bring you more as this story develops._

Chloe grabbed the remote and checked every station. It was all the same. They didn't know anything. Chloe threw the remote on the table and swiped at her tears. She could feel a pain start deep in her chest.

The plane taxied to the gate. Aubrey and Beca stood to get their bags and exit the plane. They noticed that no one else was moving. They looked to see that the door was open but no was leaving. They looked around confused when an older gentleman sitting across from them spoke.

"Welcome home, soldiers," the man said. "We are all waiting for you to depart the plane first. We figure you got family you haven't seen for a while waiting for you. Go to them."

Beca and Aubrey were both moved by the display.

"Thank you," Aubrey said. "Thank you all."

"Thank you, soldier," the older man said. "And God bless you, both!"

Everyone was quiet as Beca and Aubrey got their bags and started down the aisle toward the door. When they got there, people started clapping and saying "Welcome Home" and "Thank you." Beca and Aubrey thanked everyone as they exited the plane.

"Well, that was surreal," Beca said as they walked into the terminal. "I'm going to text Charlie to see if he's here yet."

Beca pulled out her phone.

"Shoot," Beca said. "The battery's dead."

"Mine, too," Aubrey said as she checked her phone.

"Let's just go outside," Beca said. "See if we can find him."

The two soldiers head for the exit and as soon as they make it out they hear a voice yelling their names.

"Beca! Aubrey!," Charlie yells. "Hurry up! Let's go!"

Aubrey and Beca hurry over to him.

"We have to get you two home immediately," Charlie said grabbing Aubrey's bag and tossing it in the back. "Something bad happened."

"What happened?," Beca asked as she threw her bag in the car. "What's wrong? Is it Chloe? Sophie?"

"For fuck's sake, Charlie," Aubrey said. "Spit it out."

Beca and Aubrey both climbed into the car. Charlie started the car and pulled away so fast he left marks on the road. He then told them about the news reports all over the radio about the Embassy being overtaken. Beca and Aubrey both paled.

"We were just there," Aubrey said.

"Oh, shit," Beca said. "The girls have probably seen the news. Where's your phone? Ours are dead."

"Here," Charlie said glancing down to unlock it for Beca.

Beca took the phone and dialed Chloe. It rang and went to voicemail. She tried Stacie's number and got the same result. She tried calling both twice more and got the same result.

"Dammit," Beca yelled in frustration.

"Beca, calm down," Aubrey said. "Just wait a few minutes and try again. Or try Charlotte."

"Shit," Charlie says. "It's a cop. He's pulling me over."

Charlie signals and pulls over to the side of the road. A State Trooper comes up to the car and Charlie puts down his window.

"Morning, Officer," Charlie says.

"Where's the fire?," the trooper asks.

"Officer," Aubrey leaning forward from the back seat. "I am Sargeant Posen and this is Corporal Mitchell. We literally just flew in from Syria where we were stationed at the American Embassy that was overtaken by ISIS this morning. Our families don't know we are on our way home. Our phones died because we've been on the move for the past 27 hours trying to get home so we can't reach them to let them know we are safe. We-"

"Say no more," the trooper said. "What's the address of your destination?"

Charlie spits off the address.

"Follow me," the trooper says and hurries back to his car. He pulls out and speeds off down the road. Charlie follows behind him and stays right on his tail. The trooper put on his siren and flashers to get people to move aside as he led them home.

Stacie was sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the TV waiting for more news. Chloe had cried so much that she had made herself sick. She was sitting on the floor of the downstairs bathroom with her head in her hand and tears streaming down her face. Sophie walked in and sat on Chloe's lap.

"Please no cry, mommy," Sophie said hugging Chloe.

Chloe put her arms around Sophie and held onto her. She loosened her hold and wiped the tears from her face.

"I'm sorry, Soph," Chloe said. "But mommy's really worried. The news just said that some really bad guys are in the same place mama is. I'm just scared for mama."

"Is mama got boo-boos?," Sophie asked.

"I don't know, baby," Chloe said with a chuckle. "I hope not."

"If she does," Sophie says. "I kiss them and make them better?"

"Yeah, baby," Chloe said as more tears fell. "I'm sure mama would like that."

Sophie leans her head on Chloe's chest and mother and daughter sit like that for a few minutes.

"Come on," Chloe said. "Let's check on Aunt Stacie. She's scared and worried about Aunt Brey."

Chloe got up, holding Sophie in her arms. Chloe sat next to Stacie and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. Sophie wanted to get down so Chloe let her go. Mr. and Mrs. Beale came back in the living room when the news came on again.

 _We have just received word, the news anchor starts and stops. He clears his throat. We have just been informed that the White House has received information that there are no American survivors inside the Embassy. They are currently awaiting confirmation. Again, this has not been confirmed._

Chloe let out a sob and starting hyperventilating. Stacie continued to just stare at the television with tears streaming down her face. Chloe got up and ran out the back door and dropped down into the grass as she sobbed. In the background a siren could be heard. Mr. Beale heard it and it sounded like it stopped outside their house. He went to the door and looked out. His eyes grew wide when he saw Aubrey and Beca both hurrying out of Charlie's car.

"Charlotte!," Carl screamed. "Get Chloe!"

"What on earth," Charlotte said as she walked up to her husband. "Oh, my God!"

Charlotte went running into the living room and pulled Stacie up from the sofa.

"Aubrey and Beca are here!," Charlotte yelled as she dragged Stacie to the front door.

"Aubrey's here?," Stacie said in a daze.

Aubrey stopped for a brief moment when she saw Stacie in the doorway. Beca ran around her and moved out of the way as Stacie ran to Aubrey. They crashed together and Stacie's tears fell. Aubrey pulled back and pushed Stacie's hair out of her face and crashed their lips together. Stacie kissed her back and then stood their hugging her wife.

"Baby, I've never been so afraid in my life," Stacie said through her tears.

"It's okay," Aubrey said. "I'm here, Babe. I love you so much!"

"I love you, too," Stacie said and pulled Aubrey in for another kiss.

Beca made it into the house and saw Sophie looking at her wide-eyed. She grabbed her up and pulled her into a hug.

"Hey, baby-girl," Beca said through her tears.

Sophie put her hands on Beca's face and said quietly, "Are you real?"

"Yes, Sophie," Beca said with a laugh. "I'm real."

Charlotte stood by wiping her own tears.

"Where's Chloe?," Beca asked her.

"She went out back," Charlotte said and took Sophie from Beca. "Go!"

Beca hurried out the back door and could see Chloe kneeling on the ground. She could hear her sobs as she ran over to her and kneeled in front of her.

"Chlo," Beca said causing Chloe's head to jerk up.

Before Beca could say anything else, Chloe let out a sob and Beca found herself being thrown backward when Chloe threw herself into Beca's arms. Beca laid on her back holding Chloe like she was never going to let her go.

"I, I," Chloe sobbed. "The news."

"I know, baby," Beca said. "I'm okay. I'm here and I'm okay."

Chloe continued to cry and hold onto Beca. Beca managed to sit up and Chloe was straddling her lap with her legs wrapped around Beca. Chloe has her arms around Beca's shoulders and her head buried in Beca's neck. Beca has her arms around Chloe's waist. Beca kissed Chloe's forehead and Chloe brought her head up. Beca kissed the tip of Choe's nose and brought her left hand up to cup Chloe's cheek. She wiped the tears away with her thumb and pulled Chloe into a kiss. Chloe pulled her in tighter and kissed her back with all the love she could put into a single kiss. They finally pulled back and Chloe rested her forehead on Beca's.

"I'm sorry you were scared, baby," Beca said. "Aubrey and I wanted to surprise you and Stacie for Christmas. Then our phones died and we couldn't get anyone to answer when we tried to use-"

Beca was cut off by Chloe's lips. She smiled into the kiss and kissed Chloe back.

"Mommy! Mama!," Sophie cried as she came running over to them.

Beca broke the kiss as Sophie threw her arms around Chloe'e neck from behind and hugged her tight.

"Let's go back inside," Beca said.

Chloe managed to move off Beca's lap with Sophie hanging off her back. Beca stood up and took Sophie. She then helped Chloe up and pulled her into another kiss. Beca broke the kiss and took Chloe's hand shifting Sophie to sit more comfortably on her hip.

"I've got some news," Beca said as they started walking toward the house. "I've been discharged. I'm not just home for Christmas. I'm home for good."

Chloe stopped walking and said "Really?" She looked at Beca and a tear slipped down her cheek.

"Really," Beca said catching the tear with her finger. "Think you'll get sick of having me around?"

"Never," Chloe and leaned in for another kiss which Beca gladly returned.

"Santa did it, Mommy," Sophie said smiling at her mothers. "I askded him to bring mama home. And he did."


	15. Do You Hear What I Hear?

**Guest prompt: Can you do one where Beca is recently deaf and she hates everything and everyone. She never had a great Christmas and now it's even worse she is deaf. Chloe tries to cheer her up. A lot of angst but with a fluffy ending please.**

 **NOTE: Text listed in bold capital letters are notes that are written for Beca. The text will look lik this [EXAMPLE].**

* * *

Beca Mitchell is angrily walking down the sidewalk, heading back to her office at the recording studio.

"Un-fucking-believable," Beca mumbles to herself. "As if I don't have enough to worry about."

At least she thinks she mumbled it. People are looking at her like she was crazy.

"What are you looking at?," she says not realizing she is actually yelling.

People make a wide berth around her as she stomps angrily down the busy L.A. sidewalk. Beca swipes at a tear she feels sliding down her cheek. She had been having trouble with her ears for weeks. She was at the point where she couldn't hear anything. She thought it was temporary but, according to the audiologist she just saw, it was permanent.

She made it back to her office at BMitch Music and yelled "Hold all my calls" to her Assistant as she walked past her desk. She slammed her door and threw herself into her chair.

Since she couldn't hear anything, so the doctor had written everything down for her. She pulled out the notes he made for her and started reading. She skimmed over most of the words and picked out what she thought were the highlights.

 _sensorineural hearing loss - damaged sensory cells in the cochlea; usually permanent; known as nerve deafness_

"Well, isn't that just fucking great," Beca thinks sarcastically to herself. "A grammy winning music producer who can't hear. They'll be lining up around the block."

She scanned more of the doctor's notes.

 _profound nerve deafness - cochlear implants often a solution_

She wasn't going to wear something that makes her look like some kind of a robot. She threw the notes in her bag and gathered up her stuff. She walked out the door, telling her Assistant she was leaving for the day. Her Assistant was calling after her but Beca didn't hear her and kept walking until she was in the garage. Luckily, she had a driver so she didn't have to worry about driving herself home.

James, her driver, opened the door for her. He was aware that she had been having some troubles with her ears and waited for her to tell him where they were going.

"Take me home," Beca said louder than normal.

James nodded to acknowledge he heard her and drove out of the garage. Beca only lived twenty minutes from the studio. James pulled into the driveway and stopped the car. Beca jumped out before he could get out to open her door. Beca hurried into her house and James pulled the car into the garage for the night. He then got into his own car and went home, knowing he wouldn't be needed any more that day.

Beca entered the house and went straight to the bar next to her kitchen. She pulled out a bottle of tequila and a shot glass. She downed a shot. And then another. And then another. She poured a fourth but decided she should text Chloe before she got drunk.

 _Beca [5:12 pm]: Got test results today. Can you come over?_

 _Chloe [8:33 pm]: Sorry I'm just getting to this. Went out to dinner with Brey and Stacie. We're on our way to yours. Everything okay?_

"It's been 10 minutes," Chloe said sounding worried. "She hasn't answered. She always answers."

"Maybe she's in the shower or something," Stacie said.

"I guess," Chloe said.

"Don't worry, Chlo," Aubrey said. "We'll be there in less than 10 minutes."

"I'm going to call her," Chloe said.

She rang Beca's number and got her voicemail. She left a message saying they were on their way. Ten minutes later, the three women arrive at Beca's. Stacie rings the bell and they wait. There's no answer so Stacie rings the bell and knocks on the door. Still no answer after a few minutes.

"Are you sure she's even home?," Aubrey asked.

"The lights are all on," Chloe said. "I've got the key she gave me for emergencies. I'm going to go in and check on her."

"You're not going in alone," Aubrey said. "We're coming in with you."

Chloe opens the door and calls out for Beca as she looks around.

"We'll check upstairs," Stacie says and she and Aubrey head to the stairs.

Chloe walks through the living room and calls Beca's name again. She then goes into the kitchen. She looks to the right and sees Beca standing with her back to her. She sees her put a bottle of tequila to her mouth and take a drink. She's swaying back and forth.

"Beca," Chloe said. "We've been calling you."

Beca starts mumbling to herself.

"Brey! Stacie!," Chloe yells. "I found her in the kitchen."

Chloe walks toward Beca, who hasn't turned around.

"Beca," Chloe says and puts her hand on Beca's shoulder.

Beca turns and the bottle of tequila and the shot glass she had been holding fall to the ground, both shattering on impact. Beca shouts "What the fuck!" as she turns and falls backwards onto the ground.

"Shit, Beca," Chloe says. "Don't move. You'll cut yourself on the glass."

Beca can see Chloe's mouth moving but can't hear anything she is saying.

"I can't hear you," she shouts at Chloe.

"Don't be such a child, Beca," Chloe says.

"What did you say?," Beca said trying to focus on Chloe.

"I said, don't be such a child," Chloe repeated.

Stacie and Aubrey walk in and see Beca sitting on the floor where she had fallen. Chloe was trying to get her up. Stacie took a step toward her to help.

"Look out," Chloe said. "There's glass all over the floor where she dropped a tequila bottle."

"What the hell, Beca?," Aubrey said. "This is why you weren't answering Chloe's texts?"

"I can't hear you," Beca said rather loudly.

"Real mature, Mitchell," Aubrey says angrily.

Stacie steps over the glass and helps Chloe get Beca up. They maneuver her around the glass and sit her down on a stool at the kitchen counter. Aubrey places a bottle of water in front of Beca.

"The smell of tequila is starting to permeate through the kitchen," Aubrey said. "I'll get something to clean it and the glass up."

Chloe sits on the stool next to Beca.

"What happened, Beca?," Chloe asked.

Beca just looked at her, shaking her head. She points to her ears.

"I can't hear you," Beca said loudly.

"Beca, you're being-,"

"Chloe, stop," Stacie said. "I think she means she really can't hear you."

"What?," Chloe said and then looked at Beca. "I'm going to try something."

Chloe gets up and goes behind Beca. She stands less than a foot away from her.

"Beca, I, um, I'm in love with you," Chloe said.

She looked at Stacie who was watching Beca.

"Nothing," Stacie said. "She didn't even flinch."

"Oh, my God," Chloe said. "That's what she meant when she said she got her test results. She mentioned something about getting her ears checked. I wonder how bad it really is."

"Bad enough for her to try and drink her weight in tequila," Stacie said.

Chloe took the cap off the water bottle and put it to Beca's lips telling her to drink. Beca looked at Chloe and took a drink of the water. Beca kept drinking from the bottle and seemed to be more aware of her surroundings than when they first got there.

"Stacie, look in that drawer behind you," Chloe said. "There should be some notepads and pens."

Stacie did as Chloe asked and handed her the items. Chloe wrote something down and handed the notepad to Beca.

 **WHAT DID THE DR TELL YOU** **?**

"He said I have 'profound nerve deafness'," Beca yelled.

Chloe cringed and wrote on the notepad.

 **YOU'RE YELLING TRY TO LOWER YOUR VOICE OR JUST WRITE IT DOWN**

"Sorry," Beca said at a lower volume. "Is this okay?"

Chloe nods her head.

 **DID HE SAY IF THERE WAS ANYTHING YOU COULD DO ABOUT IT? ANY MEDICINE OR MAYBE HEARING AIDS?**

"He gave me some notes he made for me to read," Beca said. "They're in my bag."

"I'll get them," Stacie said and went to look for them.

"I think I got all the glass up," Aubrey said.

Aubrey took the notepad from Chloe and wrote something down. She handed the note to Beca.

 **CAN WE DO ANYTHING?**

Beca read it and shook her head. She swiped at a tear that ran down her cheek. Chloe pulled her to her and held her tight as Beca let the tears flow. Aubrey was at a loss. Stacie came back with a few sheets of paper in her hand.

"Here are the notes," Stacie said handing them to Aubrey.

Aubrey held the notes while she and Chloe read through the information.

"This is good, right?," Chloe said. "She can get that cochlear implant and be able to hear. Right?"

Beca looked up. She wasn't able to hear what Chloe was saying but she could feel the vibrations from her voice and knew she was talking.

"I think so based on this," Aubrey said.

"What are you guys saying?," Beca asked looking between the three of them.

Chloe wrote:

 **WE THINK THE COCHLEAR IMPLANT IS A GOOD THING. AND YOU SHOULD LOOK INTO IT**

"No," Beca yells.

"Why not?," Aubrey asks.

Beca wasn't looking at Aubrey so she doesn't know Aubrey has spoken.

"I don't want those things sticking out of my head," Beca said. "I'll look like some kind of robot."

"They don't look-"

Beca smacked her hand down on the notepad in frustration. Chloe had forgotten. Aubrey grabbed the notepad and pen.

 **THEY DON'T MAKE YOU LOOK LIKE A ROBOT LOOK AT THE NOTES THE DR GAVE YOU THEY EXPLAIN EVERYTHING**

Beca stubbornly shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. Chloe shook her head at the stubbornness Beca was showing. She thought of something and grabbed the notepad and pen from Aubrey. Chloe wrote:

 **IF YOU DON'T GET THE IMPLANTS YOU WONT BE ABLE TO HEAR ANY MUSIC. CAN YOU LIVE WITHOUT MUSIC FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?**

Beca read what Chloe had written. She had a pained expression on her face. She had thought about this already. She pushed her hair back off her forehead. She put her elbow on the counter and put her head in her hand.

"I will talk to the doctor about it," Beca mumbled.

She looked up when Chloe put the notepad in front of her. Chloe had written:

 **COULDN'T HEAR YOU**

Beca took the pen and wrote:

 **I'LL TALK TO THE DOCTOR ABOUT THE IMPLANT. WILL YOU GO WITH ME?**

She handed the note to Chloe who read it and nodded her head with a smile.

"Thanks," Beca said.

Stacie and Aubrey told Chloe it was getting late and they should leave.

"I'm going to stay here," Chloe said. "I don't want to leave Beca alone."

"I think that's a good idea," Aubrey said. "Call us if you need anything. Okay?"

"Okay," Chloe said. "Thanks, guys."

"Call us tomorrow," Stacie says giving Chloe a hug.

Stacie walks over to Beca and takes the notepad.

 **CHLOE'S STAYING THE NIGHT. YOU'RE NOT IN THIS ALONE. AUBREY AND I ARE JUST A TEXT AWAY. WE LOVE YOU.**

Beca read the note and smiled at Stacie.

"I love you nerds, too," Beca said and gave Stacie a hug.

Beca surprised everyone when she hugged Aubrey and thanked her for being there. Chloe walked Aubrey and Stacie to the door.

"I meant what I said, Chlo," Aubrey told her. "Call us if you or Beca need us. I don't care what time it is."

"I got it, Brey," Chloe said giving Aubrey a big hug. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Stacie and Aubrey leave and Chloe goes back to Beca. Beca is still sitting at the kitchen counter and has another bottle of water in front of her. Chloe goes to the bathroom and comes back with two pain reliever tablets and sets them in front of Beca. Beca takes them and looks at Chloe.

Chloe takes the notepad and starts writing. Beca sits and watches until Chloe hands her the notepad.

 **ARE YOU HUNGRY? DO YOU WANT PIZZA? WHAT TIME DO YOU NEED TO BE UP TOMORROW? ARE YOU GOING TO THE STUDIO? ARE YOU TELLING ANYONE ABOUT YOUR HEARING? DO YOU WANT TO CUDDLE?**

Beca reads the note and smiles. It was so Chloe.

"Yes. Yes. 7:30. Not sure yet. Not sure yet," Beca responds to each question. "Why even bother asking the question? We both know it's going to happen whether I want it to or not."

Chloe's smile is beaming. Beca can't help but smile back at her.

Chloe pulls out her phone and orders pizza for Beca. They both go upstairs and change into some sweats and a t-shirt. They are sitting on the sofa waiting for the pizza to be delivered.

"I never realized until this moment," Beca says. "How big an impact hearing has on my every day life. I can't hear the sounds of dogs barking, or the garbage truck on trash day, or even my favorite redhead yelling at me. I can't listen to the radio or make my mixes. I won't be able to do my job. I definitely want to check into the cochlear implant. Can you call tomorrow and get me an appointment as soon as possible?"

Chloe nods her head. She's trying very hard not to get emotional, because she knows that Beca hates for anyone to feel sorry for her more than anything else in the world.

Chloe jumps up when she hears the doorbell. Beca watches her and gets up to get them something to drink. They meet back in the living room and Beca starts eating. Chloe gets a little frustrated because she keeps starting to say something and then has to get the notepad and pen to write it down. She is one who usually just chatters away about everything and nothing. Having to reign herself in is driving her crazy.

Beca senses Chloe's frustration. She wishes it didn't have to be like this but life constantly gave Beca a big "fuck you" and this was just another of them. Her father left her and her mom when she was just 5 years old. She considers that life's first 'fuck you, Beca'. Then when she was 8 years old, she came home from school to find her mother dead from a brain aneurysm. 'Fuck you, Beca'. She went to live with her grandma, who was old school and beat her all the time. No one did anything about it no matter how many times she showed up to school with bruises. 'Fuck you, Beca'. Then when she was 16, she realized she was gay ('Fuck you, Beca') and told her grandmother, who threw her out of her house. Big 'Fuck You, Beca'. The only good thing that came of that was that Jesse's family took her in. Jesse had been her best friend for years.

The 'fuck yous' continued throughout her life. The biggest 'fuck you' though was what she was going through right now. Being unable to hear. Her livelihood depended on her being able to hear. The subtle changes in beats, the ebb and flow of the rhythm of the music, the ranges needed for the vocals. If she isn't able to hear, she may as well be dead.

"You should go home," Beca tells Chloe suddenly.

Chloe furrows her brows and grabs the notepad and starts writing.

 **I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE. I'M HERE FOR YOU, BECS.**

"You shouldn't have to be," Beca tells her. "I'll only make you miserable. Go home. Forget about me."

 **I COULD NEVER FORGET ABOUT YOU. I AM YOUR BEST FRIEND. FRIENDS DO NOT LEAVE JUST BECAUSE THINGS GET ROUGH. I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE.**

"Just leave," Beca starts yelling. "Don't you get it? I don't want you here. I can do this on my own. I'm going to bed and I want you gone by the time I wake up in the morning."

Beca storms off and Chloe grabs her arm to stop her. Beca jerks away from her.

"Just fucking go," she yells and runs upstairs, slamming her bedroom door.

Chloe sat with tears in her eyes. She knew this was hard on Beca and that she was just lashing out at the only one who was there. It didn't make it hurt any less.

The next morning Chloe wakes up to the alarm she had set. She gets up and goes up to Beca's room. She shakes the woman awake and holds the notepad in front of Beca when she opened her eyes.

 **IT'S 7:30**

Chloe turns to leave when Beca clears her throat.

"I thought I told you to get out," Beca said as Chloe turned to look at her.

 **AND I TOLD YOU I WASN'T GOING ANYWHERE**

Chloe wrote the note and threw the notepad onto Beca's lap. She then turned and walked out of the room. Beca put her hands to her head and flopped back on the bed. She got up and went in the bathroom to take a shower.

Chloe went into the kitchen and started making breakfast. She got out the bacon and eggs and got the bacon in the oven. She then started whipping some eggs and milk together to make scrambled eggs. She waited until she heard the shower stop before she put the eggs in the pan so they'd still be warm when Beca got downstairs. She pulled the bacon out of the oven and set it on the counter next to the stove. She was just plating the eggs when Beca walked into the kitchen. Beca walked over to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup. She added her sugar and cream and sat down at the counter.

"Why are you still here?," Beca asked Chloe.

Chloe just added some bacon to the eggs she had already plated and set the plate in front of Beca. Chloe made herself a plate and grabbed her coffe cup. She sat at the counter across from Beca and started eating. Beca watched her as she sipped her coffee. Chloe got up and got another notepad from the drawer.

 **EAT**

"I'm not hungry," Beca said pushing her plate away.

 **I DON'T CARE. EAT ANYWAY.**

Chloe wrote and shoved the notepad over to Beca. Beca read it and got up and took her plate and dumped the food into the trash can, staring at Chloe the whole time. She set the plate back on the counter and raised a questioning eyebrow at Chloe in challenge. Chloe just glared at her and went back to eating.

Beca didn't know what to do so she refilled her coffee and went back to her bedroom. She sat on her bed and sipped at her coffee, getting lost in her thoughts. She jumped when she felt something hit her lap. She looked up to see Chloe standing there. She read Chloe's note.

 **YOUR DR HAD A CANCELLATION AND CAN SEE YOU THIS AFTERNOON AT 4:00. WE'RE LEAVING AT 3:15 BE READY**

"I'm not going," Beca said and threw the note onto the floor.

Chloe held her anger and picked up the notepad.

 **STOP BEING A STUBBORN ASS. YOU HAVE UNTIL 2:30 TO START GETTING YOURSELF READY OTHERWISE I'LL DO IT FOR YOU. DON'T TEST ME.**

Beca quirked a brow at Chloe and smirked. Chloe crossed her arms over her chest and just looked back at Beca. The battle of wills lasted a good 5 minutes before Beca finally looked away and swallowed.

"Fine," Beca said. "I'll be ready."

Chloe just smiled and left the bedroom. Chloe returned to Beca's room at 2:45 to find her getting ready. She smiled and went to finish getting herself ready. She came back to Beca's room and smiled at her. Beca looked at her and gathered her keys and jacket. Chloe led the way to the car and they both got in. Beca looked out the window and remained silent for the entire ride. Chloe pulled into the parking lot and parked the car. She looked over at Beca and saw Beca looking down at her lap. She took Beca's chin in her hand and turned her to look at her.

"You okay?," she mouthed.

"I'm scared, Chlo," Beca said. "What if he says the implants won't work for me?"

Chloe pulled out the notepad.

 **IF THAT HAPPENS WE'LL DEAL WITH IT. I MEANT WHAT I SAID AND I'LL KEEP SAYING IT UNTIL YOU BELIEVE IT - I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE AND WE'LL FIGURE IT OUT TOGETHER. OKAY?**

Beca nodded and they exited the car. Chloe tapped Beca on the arm when her name was called and went back with her to see the doctor.

"Doctor," Beca said. "Before we start, Chloe will do my talking for me. She knows what I want and can ask questions and fill me in on everything all at once. Otherwise we'll be here all day while you write everything down. Is that okay?"

The doctor nodded and smiled.

"Good," Beca said. "I want to find out about the cochlear implant. Can I get them?

The doctor smiled and nodded and turned to Chloe.

"She's a perfect candidate for the cochlear implant," the doctor told Chloe causing her to smile. "We do the cochlear implant surgery under general anesthesia and it usually takes between one and three hours. With any surgeries there are risks, but they are minimal. If all goes well, Beca will have to stay in the hospital for just one night. If there are any issues, she may need to stay for a few days. But, I really don't see there being any problems. With me so far?"

Chloe looks up from the notes she's been writing to share with Beca.

"Everything sounds pretty straight forward," Chloe said. "What happens after the surgery? Will she be able to hear?"

"Not immediately," the doctor says. "About four weeks after the surgery, she'll have to come in to receive the audio processor. It will need to be programmed, or "fitted" by the audiologist. The program will include things like pitch, loudness, and timing. To make the best of the program, she may need to come back a few times to get everything fine tuned to her needs. After that, she'll need to come back periodically to ensure everything is working properly."

"How often will she need to come back?," Chloe asked.

"I'd say six months the first time," the doctor said. "Unless, she has a problem. Then she should come in as soon as possible. After that, we'd only have to check her once a year or so. Any other questions?"

"I can't think of anything," Chloe said. "I think you've covered everything. Do you mind if I take some time to explain everything to Beca? I think she wants to make the decision today."

"I'll leave you two alone," the doctor said getting up. "Take your time. I'll come back after I see my next patient and we can go from there."

"Thank you, doctor," Chloe said as he left.

She turned to Beca and handed her the notes she had taken. She wrote at the top.

 **READ THIS AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.**

Beca nodded and read through the notes Chloe had taken. By the end she was smiling.

"I want to do it," Beca said.

Chloe just smiled and hugged Beca. The doctor came back after a while and Chloe told him Beca wanted the surgery. Things after that started happening fast. The surgery was scheduled for two days before Thanksgiving. Beca's surgery went well and she was up and about and home the next day. Chloe had practically moved into Beca's house during this time. Beca was excited but tried to maintain her cool just in case something went wrong.

It was a few days before Christmas. Beca was at her audiologist's office to get her audio processor. She had asked Chloe to wait in the waiting area while she had it put in. When Beca saw the processor, it was much smaller than she had imagined and she was happy that her hair would easily conceal it. The audiologist used a note pad to write down what was going to happen once it was in place. He wrote that he would turn it on and she should let him know if she could hear, how loud it was, or if anything sounded funny to her. Beca nodded that she understood and they got started.

The audiologist was ready to turn on the processor and Beca gave him a nod to let him know she was ready. The processor was turned on and at first Beca didn't hear anything. The audiologist stood behind her.

"Can you hear me?," he asked.

Beca nodded and tears came to her eyes. These were the were first words she had heard in so long she was overwhelmed.

"I need Chloe," Beca said. "Please."

The doctor called for a nurse and asked her to get Chloe from the waiting room.

"Is the sound too loud? Is it too pitchy?," the doctor asked, speaking at a normal volume.

"A little," Beca said.

The doctor made an adjustment and asked, "How about now?"

"That's good," Beca said as tears ran down her face.

"Excellent," the doctor said. "You'll need to come back after the new year and we'll see what other adjustments we need to make. Make note of anything that seems weird so I'll know what needs to be adjusted. Okay?"

"Okay," Beca said.

The nurse ushered Chloe into the room. Chloe looked at Beca and saw her tears.

"Is everything okay?," Chloe asked the doctor.

"Everything's fine," Beca said and smiled.

Chloe gasped and tears sprang to her eyes.

"You can hear me?," Chloe whispered.

"Yes, I can," Beca said through her own tears.

Beca jumped up and grabbed Chloe in a hug. The two just stood there hugging and crying. The doctor looked on with a smile.

They left the doctor's office and Beca wanted to drive home. She hadn't wanted to drive since she couldn't hear anything. Now, she wanted to get behind the wheel again. Chloe let her drive home.

"I don't want to tell Stacie and Aubrey yet," Beca told Chloe when they went into the house. "I want to surprise them on Christmas when they come over."

Beca had sworn Chloe to secrecy about when she would be getting the audio processor put in, so they had no clue that she would be able to hear.

"Okay," Chloe said. "I'll try and keep it to myself. I'm just so happy for you, I don't know if I'll be able to hold it in."

"Try hard. For me. Okay?," Beca asked.

"Okay," Chloe said and smiled. "Just for you."

The two spent the next two days listening to music and watching movies. Beca was so happy to be able to hear that she sat through all of the Hallmark Channel's sappy Christmas movies that Chloe loved. So far, Chloe has managed to keep Beca's ability to hear from Stacie and Aubrey.

It was Christmas day and Beca and Chloe were waiting for Stacie and Aubrey to arrive. They had already exchanged their gifts and were working together in the kitchen to make dinner. Everything was in place and almost ready when the doorbell rang. Chloe ran to answer the door.

"Merry Christmas," Chloe says.

"Merry Christmas, Chlo," Aubrey says and hugs her.

Merry Christmas, Chloe," Stacie says.

The three walk into the living room and Stacie puts their gifts under the tree.

"Where's the hobbit?," Aubrey asks.

"Brey, be nice," Chloe said. "She's in the kitchen. I'll get her."

"We'll just come with you," Stacie said. "I like watching a domestic Beca."

Chloe laughed and led them into the kitchen. Beca heard them come in but kept her back to them. She was standing at the stove and Chloe gently tapped her on the shoulder. Beca turned and smiled.

"Merry Christmas," Beca said.

Stacie held up a note that said "Merry Christmas."

"Do you want something to drink?," Beca asked.

"What do you want babe?," Aubrey asked Stacie.

Chloe smiled and said, "I'll have some wine."

"Coming right up," Beca said.

"I'll have wine, too," Stacie said.

"You got it," Beca said.

Suddenly both Stacie and Aubrey's eyes grew wide.

"You can hear?!," Stacie yelled.

"Keep it down, Stacie," Beca said with a smirk. "I'm not deaf, you know."

Chloe laughed and Aubrey and Stacie both hugged Beca.

"Oh, Beca," Aubrey said with a tear in her eye. "I'm so happy for you."

"When did this all happen?," Stacie asked.

Beca and Chloe filled them in on everything and they spent dinner laughing and talking. Dinner was done and they were sitting in the living room ready to exchange their gifts. They opened their gifts and were sitting around enjoying another glass of wine. Aubrey and Stacie were sitting on the sofa, while Beca and Chloe were sitting on the loveseat across from them.

"I can't believe you kept Beca being able to hear from us," Aubrey said to Chloe.

"She asked me not to tell you," Chloe said. "And, I promised I wouldn't."

"You've been a great friend to her through all this," Stacie said.

"You all have," Beca said. "But, Chloe's been my rock. I swear if I wasn't already in love with her, this would have surely done it."

Chloe gasped and Stacie and Aubrey's eyes widened and a smile came to their faces. They all were just staring at Beca.

"What?," Beca asked and then her eyes widened when she realized what she just said.

"You're in love with me?," Chloe asked.

"Well, it's already out there," Beca said nervously looking at Chloe. "No use denying it." She takes a breath and continues. "Yes, I'm in love with you. I have been for a while but didn't want to mess up our friendship. I really don't know what I'd do if you weren't in my life, Chloe. I'm sorry if I'm making things awkward for you."

Chloe didn't say a word. She just put her hands on Beca's cheeks and pulled her into a kiss. Beca was surprised but kissed her back. Chloe pulled back from the kiss with tears in her eyes.

"I'm in love with you, too," Chloe said through her tears.

Beca wiped Chloe's tears away and kissed her again.

"It's about time," Aubrey said.

Beca kept kissing Chloe and flipped Aubrey off without breaking the kiss.

Stacie laughed and Aubrey said, "Merry Christmas to you, too, hobbit."


	16. Beca Needs a Christmas Miracle

**Prompt submitted by Rooney (Guest): Could you do one where Beca &Chloe are not dating because they haven't confessed their feelings. And it's early December and in the car driving home after a Bellas practice a deer comes out of the forest preserve or something causing Chloe to swerve and crash. Beca ends up in a coma and all Chloe & the Bellas want is to get their grumpy DJ back for Christmas.**

* * *

"I can't believe it's already December first," Chloe says as she rips November off the kitchen wall calendar.

"And, I can't believe," Aubrey says, "that you've been walking around for 3 months like a lovesick puppy and haven't told Beca how you feel about her."

"I can't Brey," Chloe says. "I wouldn't even know how to bring it up."

They are interrupted by Aubrey's phone ringing.

"Hold that thought," Aubrey said as she answered the call.

Chloe sat there lost in thought. She really did like Beca. A lot. She was funny, smart, had a sarcastic sense of humor which Chloe adored, and, although she tried to hide it, she was one of the most caring people Chloe had ever met.

"I understand," Aubrey says. "I appreciate that. Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

"What was that all about?," Chloe asked.

"The heat is out in the Auditorium," Aubrey said. "It won't be fixed for several weeks because they have to have some part shipped in."

"What are we going to do?," Chloe said. "We have Sectionals two weeks after we get back from Winter Break. We need to get our performance nailed down now."

"The University is providing a place for us to rehearse," Aubrey said. "It's all the way across town, so we just have to figure out how to get everyone there and back."

"Well, you and I can drive," Chloe said. "We just need to find one more car and it will all be okay."

"Doesn't Ashley have a car here?," Aubrey asked.

"Jessica does," Chloe said.

"Are you sure it's not Ashley?," Aubrey asked.

"No, it's Jessica," Chloe said. "Let's send out a group text and have everyone meet here. Then we can work it out and get to practice."

"On it," Aubrey said.

Less than an hour later all the Bellas were at Aubrey and Chloe's and they divided up the girls between the three cars. Aubrey drove Stacie, CR, and Denise; Chloe had Beca and Amy; and Jessica drove Ashley and Lily. They arrived at their new rehearsal location. Aubrey showed them the area they were going to use for cardio and got them started. Chloe checked out the room and was able to work out the choreography to fit the space. Practice went fairly well.

"All right ladies," Aubrey said. "That's it for today. Now, since we have to spend extra time getting here to practice, I need you all to make sure that you arrive at our apartment on time so we can still get in a 2 hour practice every day. Now tomorrow is Saturday so we have extended practice. We should meet up at 8:30 so we can be here by 9:00 and can get done by Noon. Then if everyone wants, we can hit the diner for lunch on the way back. Is everyone okay with that?"

Everyone agreed and they went back to the university. The extra hour that was added due to their commute, wasn't a real problem until Tuesday night. That was the one night that they had a late practice. It was after 11:30 pm when they left the practice space and everyone was tired. Beca and Amy climbed into Chloe's car and Chloe told them they had to stay awake with her. Both girls moaned but they decided to turn up the radio and have a sing-a-long. They had been driving for about 10 minutes and singing along to Pink's new song.

"Chloe, look out!," Beca yelled.

Chloe turned the wheel sharply to avoid the deer that had come onto the road. She lost control and the car hit a tree. Aubrey and Jessica had been following Chloe and both pulled over. All the girls jumped out of the cars and ran over to check on their friends. Stacie called 911 to report the accident.

Amy was moaning in the backseat. Beca and Chloe were both unconscious. Aubrey was trying to open Chloe's door. Stacie and CR pulled her back.

"Let the emergency guys do that," Stacie tells her holding onto her to keep her back. "We don't want to move them. It could makes things worse for them."

All of the girls were visibly shaken. The police, fire department, and EMTs all arrived within seconds of each other. The girls all told the police what they saw while the firefighters worked on getting the girls out of the car.

Chloe woke up and started looking around. She shielded her eyes from all the bright lights. She looked over and saw Beca with her head dropped down so that her chin was touching her chest. She could see blood dripping off her nose and chin.

"Oh, my God," Chloe cried out. "Beca! Beca, can you hear me?"

She reached for the brunette but just then her car door was pried open. An EMT reached in and gently turned Chloe's head to face the front. He put a neck collar on her and Chloe kept trying to look over at Beca.

"Stay still miss," the EMT told her. "Can you tell me where you have pain?"

"Just my head. My head hurts," Chloe told him. "You have to help my friend. Please?"

"My buddy's looking after her," the EMT told her. "Don't worry. He'll take good care of her."

Amy was helped out of the car and was able to walk on her own to the ambulance. The EMTs are ready to remove Beca and Chloe from the car. The firefighters put a backboard on the the edge of the seat and the EMT gently lays Beca on her side on the board. He then pulls her legs out, with the help of a firefighter, slides her up so that her whole body is now on the board. They slowly turn her on her back and strap her down. They get Chloe out and strap her down on a board as well. Both girls are placed on gurneys and taken to waiting ambulances.

"No," Chloe says struggling to sit up. "I have to go with Beca. I need to be with her."

"I'll go with Beca," Stacie tells her. "You need to settle down. Okay? Do it for Beca."

Stacie's words get through to Chloe and she settles back and stops struggling. Stacie rushes over and asks to go with Beca. Amy is put in the ambulance with Chloe. Both ambulances take off. Aubrey is really shaken up so CR gets behind the wheel of Aubrey's car and drives Aubrey and Denise to the hospital. Jessica follows with Ashley and Lily.

When the girls arrive they rush into the Emergency Room and find Stacie pacing back and forth.

"They're all being looked after," Stacie tells them. "We just have to wait."

"I should call Chloe's folks," Aubrey said and pulls out her phone.

"I'll call Beca's dad," Stacie said and pulls out her phone.

A few minutes later both girls end their calls.

"Chloe's folks are going to drive up from Tampa," Aubrey tells them. "They should be here around 9:00. They asked us to keep them informed."

"Beca's dad's on his way," Stacie said. "He should be here shortly."

The girls are sitting around, all of them worried about their friends. Dr. Mitchell and his wife, Sheila, arrive. The girls tell them what happened and Dr. Mitchell goes up to see if there is any news on Beca. He comes back and says they're running tests.

"A doctor will come out when he can to update us," Dr. Mitchell says.

Several of the girls have fallen asleep. Amy comes out and the girls all hug her.

"Are you okay?," Stacie asks her.

"Yeah," Amy said. "They checked me out and I'll be sore from the seat belt but otherwise I'm okay. Have you heard anything about Chloe and Beca?"

"Not yet," Stacie tells her.

They sit and wait some more. Beca's dad gets up and starts pacing. Sheila goes over and says something to him. She then starts to lead him outside.

"Call us if the doctor comes out," Sheila said to the girls. "Ben just needs some air."

They assured her they'd find them if the doctor came out before they came back. Aubrey was sitting with her head in her hands. Stacie went over and sat next to her.

"Chloe will be okay," Stacie said. "She is a strong, stubborn young woman."

Aubrey looked over at Stacie and gave her a small smile.

"I know you won't believe this," Aubrey said. "But, it's Beca I'm most worried about. She looked bad when they got her out of the car."

"She does kind of grow on you, doesn't she?," Stacie said with a small laugh.

"Yeah, she does," Aubrey says and smiles.

"Chloe Beale family?," a doctor calls out.

All the girls jump up and gather around the doctor.

"I'm Aubrey Posen," Aubrey says. "Chloe's parents are enroute from Tampa and won't be here for several hours. If you check, you will find that I am listed as an emergency contact."

"Yes, of course," the doctor says. "I'm Dr. Michaels. Ms. Beale suffered a head injury. We ran some tests and she has a slight concussion but no other indicators or anything more serious. We want to keep her overnight for observation. She should be able to go home tomorrow. Any questions?"

"Can we see her?," Aubrey asks.

"She's in a room," Dr. Michaels. "She may be sleeping and it's late. If you want to see her, just do it quietly. Anything else?"

"No, sir," Aubrey says.

"What about Beca Mitchell?," Stacie asked. "She was brought in with Chloe. They were in the same car."

"I'm sorry, I don't know," Dr. Michaels said. "I'll see who she has attending to her and let them know you're waiting for an update."

"Thank you," Stacie said.

The doctor nodded and went back through the door he had come from. The girls all sat back down and continued their wait. Sheila and Ben came back into the waiting room.

"We saw a doctor," Sheila said.

"He was telling us about Chloe," Aubrey said. "He was going to check to see who Beca's doctor was and get us an update."

"Thank you," Ben said. "How is Chloe?"

"She has a slight concussion," Aubrey told him. "She'll be fine and can go home tomorrow. Or later today, I guess. Her folks are on their way here."

"Let Mr. and Mrs. Beale know they can stay with us," Ben says. "We have plenty of room and we're close by. No sense in paying for a hotel room they won't be spending much time in."

"Thank you, Dr. Mitchell," Aubrey said. "I'll make sure they know. I'm going to go see Chloe."

"I'll go with you," Amy says.

The two blondes go to the desk to find out where Chloe's room is. They walk off together. The other girls are in various stages of sleeping and Ben has his head back with his eyes closed. Sheila was sitting next to him with her head on his shoulder, sleeping as well.

"Beca Mitchell family?," a voice calls out causing everyone to jerk awake.

"I'm Ben Mitchell, her father," Ben says as he walks over to the doctor.

Sheila walks over to stand by her husband. The girls all stand a respectable distance away but close enough to hear what is said.

"I'm Dr. Lawrence," the doctor said. "I apologize for the wait. We've been running several tests on your daughter. What we know is that she has a broken right arm. The break leads us to believe she put her hand on the dash to brace herself at the time of impact. She also received three stitches for a small gash on the right side of her head near her temple. What we are most concerned about though, is that she isn't awake yet. We've run a variety of tests and, except the fact that she obviously hit her head on the car window, we can't figure out why she hasn't woken up. I'm afraid she's in a coma."

The girls all gasp and look at each other.

"Do you know when she'll come out of it?," Ben asked.

"I'm afraid we don't," Dr. Lawrence said. "We will monitor her constantly. It's all up to her now. I wish I could give you something more definitive, but I can't. It could be days, weeks, or even months. I'm sorry."

"Can we see her?," Sheila asks.

"Yes," Dr. Lawrence says. "She's in the SICU, which is our Neuro Intensive Care Unit. Go to the fifth floor and check in at the desk. It's open for visitors 24/7 so you shouldn't have a problem getting in to see her now. We do prefer that there be no more than 3 or 4 visitors in the room at one time."

"Thank you, Dr. Lawrence," Ben said.

"Dr. Mitchell," Stacie said. "We'd like to see Beca if that's okay."

"Of course," Ben said. "Let's all go up. You can see her and then I think you should all go home and get some rest. Sheila and I will stay the night with her."

"Thank you," Stacie said turning back to the girls. "You guys go with Dr. Mitchell. I'm going to fill Aubrey in and bring her and Amy to see Beca before we leave. Okay?"

The girls all nod and everyone heads for the elevators. Stacie gets off on the third floor and goes to Chloe's room. Chloe is sitting up and talking to Aubrey and Amy.

"Stacie!," Chloe says when she sees her. "What's going on with Beca? Have you heard anything yet?"

"Um, yeah," Stacie said.

She told them what the doctor had said. Chloe had tears running down her face.

"This is all my fault," Chloe said.

"Chloe, it was an accident," Amy said. "I was in the car, too, and I don't blame you. Beca won't either. It's no one's fault. You shouldn't think like that."

Aubrey holds Chloe while she cries. Stacie tells them that the rest of the girls were visiting Beca before they head back to Barden.

"Stacie," Aubrey said. "CR has my keys. You guys take my car back to Barden. I'm going to stay with Chloe."

"Okay," Stacie said. "I'm sure they'll want to come by to say goodnight to Chloe."

All the girls make a quick stop to say goodnight to Chloe and Aubrey. After they leave, Chloe calls her mother to let her know what was going on and to tell her about the Mitchells' invitation to stay at their house while they were in Barden.

"You'll meet them when you get here," Chloe said. "I love you, too. Drive safe."

Chloe ends her call and Aubrey settles in the chair by Chloe's bed.

"I want to see Beca," Chloe says. "I need to see her."

"Wait until the morning, Chlo," Aubrey tells her. "After your folks get here and the doctor releases you. You need to rest. Beca will be upset with you if you don't take care of yourself."

Chloe sighs and quietly says, "Okay."

The next day Aubrey wakes up to find Mrs. Beale sitting quietly in Chloe's room.

"Good morning, Aubrey," Mrs. Beale says.

"Good morning," Aubrey says. "When did you guys get here?"

"A couple of hours ago," Mrs. Beale responds. "We met Beca's folks and they took us to their house to show us where we would be staying. They also gave us a spare key so we can come and go as needed. They are really very sweet. Carl stayed to get some sleep. He drove straight through and wouldn't let me drive at all."

"Did you see Beca?" Chloe asked.

"Hey, Chlo-bear," Mrs. Beale says. "Yes, we did. She's very pretty. And she looks pretty good. Ben said there's no change though."

"Can you get the doctor for me?," Chloe asks. "I want to get out of here so I can see Beca."

"I'll go," Aubrey said.

The doctor comes and Chloe is discharged after a bit. She immediately goes up to see Beca. She walks in and greets Ben and Sheila. She looks at Beca and the tears start.

"I'm so sorry," Chloe said. "I was the one driving. It's all my fault she's here."

"Chloe," Dr. Mitchell says walking over to her and pulling her into a hug. "We heard what happened. It wasn't your fault. It was just a stupid accident. Stop torturing yourself. I know Beca would tell you the same thing."

Dr. Mitchell hugged Chloe tigher as she sniffled and nodded her head although she still felt guilty.

Over the next two weeks, the days blend into each other. Chloe spends every minute at the hospital sitting and talking with Beca, until Ben or her mother forces her to leave to get some rest, or eat, or shower. The Bellas visit every day and sit with Beca. The all talk to her because the doctor said she could probably hear them.

Ben and Sheila tag teamed with Carl and Charlotte Beale in spending time with Beca. Ben was the head of the Literature Department at Barden Unversity and couldn't be away as much as he wanted to, especially with Finals and Winter Break coming up. Sheila worked as a realtor and had clients to deal with. So, when they couldn't be there to sit with Beca, the Beales were there.

On one of the days the Beales were sitting with Beca, Carl had gone to get them all coffee so Charlotte was alone with Chloe. She decided to have a talk with Chloe.

"You love her don't you?," Charlotte asked Chloe.

"She's one of my best friends, mom," Chloe responded not looking at her mother.

"I know that," Charlotte said. "But, I also see the way you look at her. Does she feel the same way about you?"

"I, I don't know," Chloe said. "I haven't told her how I feel."

"Maybe you should," Charlotte said. "Tell her now and then it will be easier to say when she wake ups."

"I don't want to ruin our friendship," Chloe said. "I want to keep her in my life. If I tell her I love her, and she doesn't feel the same way, she'll run. I couldn't bear that."

"Tell her," Charlotte said. "You might be surprised. She might just tell you that she feels the same way about you."

"I'll think about it," Chloe says. "Thanks, mom."

Charlotte just smiles.

"Oh, before I forget," Charlotte says. "Ben and Sheila have invited us to extend our stay and spend Christmas with them. They figure you aren't going to want to go home as long as Beca is here, and we won't go home without you, so we said yes. Your Aunt Madeline is shipping all our presents here and your Uncle Bud is taking care of the shop for dad."

"That's good news, mom," Chloe said with a smile.

Two days before Christmas and most of the girls have reluctantly gone home to spend Christmas with their families. They were all worried about Beca and wanted to be there for her. All the Bellas made sure to go to the hospital to visit Beca before they left. CR leads them all in a prayer asking for a speedy recovery for Beca. They all asked Chloe and Aubrey to give them daily updates on Beca's condition. Aubrey was supposed to go to Tampa with Chloe, so she was now spending Christmas with the Beales and the Mitchells. Beca had already invited Amy to her dad's for Christmas since she wasn't going home either.

It was Christmas Eve and Chloe, Aubrey, and Amy were in Beca's room. They had sent Beca's dad and Sheila, along with Carl and Charlotte Beale, home for the night to get some rest. It was late and Amy had fallen asleep in a chair in the corner. Aubrey and Chloe were sitting in chairs on opposite sides of Beca's bed.

"I wish she'd wake up," Chloe said. "I don't know what I'll do if she doesn't."

"Don't think like that," Aubrey said. "She's going to wake up and you're going to grow a pair and tell her you love her. She'll say it back because everyone can tell she loves you, too. She'll be the pain in my ass she always was and things will be back to normal."

"You like her," Chloe says with a smile. "Admit it. You think of her as a friend."

"Maybe," Aubrey says and smiles.

"I knew it," Chloe says. "She considers you a friend, too. She respects you. She told me so. She also threatened to kill me if I told you, so pretend you don't know."

Aubrey laughed and smiled. Her phone pinged.

"Stacie said hi and was checking on Beca," Aubrey said after reading the text.

Aubrey texted back and put her phone away. Her phone pinged again and she checked it and smiled. She texted back. This went on for a few minutes before Chloe's eyes widened.

"You like Stacie!," Chloe said.

"I, we," Aubrey sighs. "Maybe."

"That's great, Brey," Chloe said. "I'm really happy for you. Stacie's a great girl."

Aubrey finally puts her phone away.

"Did you see that?," Chloe said excitedly. "She squeezed my hand. Beca squeezed my hand."

"Are you sure," Aubrey asked.

"Squeeze it again, Beca," Chloe was practically yelling. "Please. Beca? Can you squeeze my hand?"

Nothing happened. A nurse came in and Chloe said something about Beca squeezing her hand. The nurse got the doctor and he came in and checked Beca over.

"I'm sorry," Dr. Lawrence said. "It may have just been a reflex action."

The doctor patted Chloe on the shoulder and left the room.

"I felt it," Chloe said and tears streamed down her face. "I know I did. She squeezed it. She squeezed my hand."

Aubrey held Chloe as she cried. She had to smile when saw that Amy never woke up with all that had just happened. Chloe cried for quite a bit. She was tired. She wanted Beca to wake up. But, she was tired. Chloe's tears finally subsided and Aubrey noticed she had fallen asleep. She gently moved Chloe so her head was laying on the bed.

Aubrey moved over to the other chair and reached across the bed and took Beca's hand.

"I believe Chloe felt you squeeze her hand," Aubrey told Beca. "I'm going to hold on so I can feel it next time. So, feel free to squeeze away."

Aubrey held Beca's hand and sat there for a few minutes. She wiped a tear that had fallen and cleared her throat.

"Hey, God," Aubrey said softly. "I know most people ignore you until they want something, and I know I've been guilty of doing the same. But, this isn't a prayer for me. This is for my best friend, Chloe, and our friend, Beca. Beca is in a coma and I know you know when, or if- if, she'll come out of it. All I'm asking is if you could please find a way to bring her back to us. To Chloe. Chloe loves this girl so much. It will kill her if Beca doesn't come out of this. The Bellas, and I, um, we love her, too. She's a really good person. A really good friend. So, please God, bring her back to us. Please?"

Aubrey stops for a minute to compose herself and wipe away her tears.

"I just need to have my friend back," she continues, her voice shaky. "I know she's snarky, and sarcastic, and just likes to push my buttons, but, she makes me better. She makes us all better. We need her. Chloe needs her. I need her. We-. I'm just not ready to lose her yet. So, please, God, give us a Christmas miracle. In your name, I ask this. Amen."

Aubrey has her head down and she wipes tears from her face. She feels Beca's hand tighten in hers and she looks at Beca.

"I must be worse off than I thought if you had to call on the big guy," Beca croaks out.

"Beca?," Aubrey says. "Oh, my God! Chloe! Chloe, wake up."

"Brey, stop yelling," Chloe mumbles.

"Beca's awake," Aubrey says and jumps up to go get a nurse or a doctor or somebody.

"Beca's awake?," Chloe asks as she lifts her head and looks at Beca. "Beca! You're awake!"

"Beca's awake?," Fat Amy says and hurries over to the bed.

"Yeah," Beca says and tries to clear her throat. "Water?"

"Um, let's wait for the doctor," Chloe said. "I can't believe you're awake."

"You really had us worried, Beca," Amy says.

Aubrey comes back in with a nurse and Dr. Lawrence. The doctor looks at Beca and smiles.

"How are you feeling?," he asks.

"Could I have some water?," Beca asks.

"Sure," the doctor said.

"I got it," Chloe says and opens her water bottle and hands it to Beca.

Beca takes a drink and clears her throat. She takes another drink.

"Better?," the doctor asks.

"Yes," Beca says clearly.

"Okay, ladies," Dr. Lawrence says. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave so I can do a thorough examination of Ms. Mitchell."

"What? No," Chloe said. "She just woke up."

"Come on, Chlo," Aubrey said putting an arm around her shoulder and pulling her toward the door. "We can come right back as soon as the doctor is done."

Chloe doesn't say anything but looks back at Beca.

"I'm not going anywhere," Beca said with a smile. "I swear."

Chloe nods as Aubrey leads her out of the room, followed by Amy. Once out of the room, Chloe calls Dr. Mitchell to let him know Beca is awake. He tells Chloe they'll be at the hospital as soon as they can. Aubrey sends a group text to all the Bellas letting them know. Her phone immediately starts pinging with messages of love and support for Beca.

The doctor comes out of the room and tells them Beca is fine. There should be no reason why she can't be home in a day or two. He called it a Christmas miracle. Aubrey grabs Amy before she can go back into Beca's room.

"Let's go get some coffee," Aubrey says to Amy and pulls her toward the cafeteria.

"And a scone," Amy said. "I'm hungry."

"And a scone," Aubrey says with a laugh.

Chloe enters the room and she is alone with Beca. She slowly walks over to the bed and just stands there looking around. Beca pats the bed next to her and Chloe smiles and sits down.

"Merry Christmas, Chloe," Beca tells her.

"It is," Chloe says. "Merry Christmas, Beca."

"You won't believe this," Beca says. "But, I had some weird dreams while I was out. It's like I could hear everybody. Amy talking about fighting dingos, your mom talking about spending Christmas here, and one of the nurses thinks Aubrey's hot."

"Better not let Stacie hear that part," Chloe said with a laugh.

"Stacie and Aubrey, huh?," Beca said. "Wow. That part wasn't a dream either."

"What else do you remember?," Chloe asked.

"Well," Beca said. "I heard my dad and Sheila, and the Bellas praying for me. I woke up to Aubrey saying a prayer for me. I also heard you. You were like the one voice that was always there. There were a few times when, I could have sworn you said something about being in love with me. Was I dreaming that? Did I dream that you told me that you were in love with me? Was anything I thought I heard real?"

Chloe is looking down at her lap. Beca lifts her head up by her chin so she can look at her.

"Was it a dream?," Beca asked. "The part where you said you were in love with me? Because, I'm seriously hoping it wasn't."

"It wasn't a dream," Chloe whispered. "I said it. My mom said I should tell you while you were in the coma, so maybe it'd be easier to say when you were awake."

"So?," Beca said. "I'm awake."

"I love you, Beca Mitchell," Chloe said with tears in her eyes.

"Good," Beca whispered with a smile. "Because I love you, too, Chloe Beale."

Using her good arm, Beca pulled Chloe to her and grabbed her lips in a sweet kiss. Chloe put her hand behind Beca's neck and pull her closer, deepening the kiss. They break the kiss and Beca put her forehead against Chloe's. They sit this way for a few minutes. Beca takes Chloe's hand and squeezes it. She leans in and give Chloe another kiss. Aubrey and Amy walk in to see Beca and Chloe kissing.

"Well," Amy said. "I guess Stacie won the bet."

"What bet?," Aubrey asks. "You know what? Never mind. I don't want to know."

Aubrey walks over to Beca and Chloe and says "I take it you guys used your alone time well."

"We totes did," Chloe said. "And, you get to give my _girlfriend_ the whole 'hurt my best friend and I'll hurt you speech'."

"That's great news," Aubrey said and then turns to Beca with a mock stern look. "Beca, we will talk later."

"Yes, ma'am," Beca says with a smile. "I look forward to it."

The Mitchells and the Beales come hurrying into the room. Ben rushes over to the bed and pulls Beca into a hug.

"Ow," Beca said. "Watch the arm, dad."

"Sorry," Ben said. "I'm just so happy you're awake."

Everyone is smiling and laughing. Amy and Aubrey are standing by the window to allow the two families time with Beca. Beca hasn't let go of Chloe's hand. She announces that she and Chloe are a thing now. The Mitchells and the Beales are all happy for them. Charlotte pulls Chloe into a hug.

"I'm so happy you told her," Charlotte tells her.

"So am I," Chloe whispered with a big smile.

Aubrey watched all that was happening with a smile. She looked out the window and up into the sky. She wiped away a tear and mouthed "Thank you" to the heavens.


	17. Christmas Crush

**Guest prompt: Could you do one where Beca is crushing on her son's teacher. Kid has to get the teacher a gift for Christmas. Beca steps in and helps the kid out hoping to get a chance to talk to Chloe. Even though Chloe is the hottest teacher at the elementary school and Beca has competition with other single parents. Will Chloe be impressed by the big shot music producer's gift?**

* * *

It was a beautiful Wednesday afternoon in sunny L.A. as Beca Mitchell, a grammy winning music producer, stood outside her son's school with all the other parents waiting for their children to be let out. She was standing near the front of the group when she heard some of the fathers making lewd comments about Miss Beale, her son, Dylan's, first grade teacher. Miss Beale had just brought out her class.

"She's definitely a TILF," one of the fathers said.

"A TILF?," another asked.

"Yeah," the first guy said. "Teacher I'd Like to-"

"Dude," Beca said cutting the man off. "There are young children around and that kind of talk is not appreciated. You should know better."

"Yeah! Watch your mouth, Dale," one of the other mothers say.

Dale just glared at them and turned to look for his daughter. Beca just shook her head and looked for Dylan. She smiles and waves when she sees him. Miss Beale sees her and smile as she lets Dylan go. He runs over to her and they head for the car.

"Look, mommy," Dylan said holding up a picture he drew.

"Whoa, dude," Beca said looking at it. "This is awesome. Very fridge worthy."

"Yes!," Dylan says pumping his fist in the air.

Beca helped Dylan into the car and looked back to see Miss Beale talking to Tom Henderson, another dad. Beca could see he was totally flirting with her. Beca couldn't blame him though. Miss Beale was gorgeous and she might actually have a little crush on the teacher as well.

Beca drove Dylan home and started making dinner. Dylan was doing his homework at the kitchen counter. His homework consisted of coloring in a picture with the correct color that was written in each section. She had to smile at how adorable he was with this tongue stuck out while he concentrated on trying to stay in the lines.

While the chicken was cooking, Beca went through Dylan's backpack. She had to check it every night because Dylan always forgot to give her notes and she was usually left scrambling in the morning to get whatever was needed done. She pulled out a flyer with a Christmas design on it. It was a program for the Christmas concert.

"Hey, Dyl," Beca said. "Why didn't you tell me about the Christmas concert? It's only a week away."

"I forgot," Dylan said. "Miss Beale is teaching us two songs to sing for it. Are you going to be there? Also, we need to bring cookies."

"We can do that," Beca said. "I'll put it on the calendar. What kind of cookies should we make?"

"How about gingerbread?," Dylan said.

"I don't really know how to make that," Beca said. "How about we do sugar cookies shaped like Christmassy stuff. And you can help decorate them."

"Yes!," Dylan says excitedly. "What can I get Miss Beale as a present?"

"You want to get Miss Beale a present?," Beca said.

"Of course," Dylan says. "There's another flyer that tells us stuff we can get her."

Beca looks through Dylan's backpack and finds a piece of paper crumpled near the bottom. She pulls it out and reads it. On it are some guidelines on gifts for teachers.

"Do you know what Miss Beale likes?," Beca asks.

"Um, I don't know," Dylan says.

"It's usually a good idea to know what the person likes," Beca said. "So, you can give them something they can use."

It was Monday, and Beca was picking up Dylan from school. Miss Beale asked if she could stick around until all the kids were picked up so she could speak to her. Beca stood off to the side with Dylan.

"Did you do something I need to know about?," Beca asked Dylan.

"No, mommy," Dylan said.

"Okay," Beca said. "What do you want to do about dinner tonight? It's Monday and you know what that means."

"Mommy ain't cookin'!," Dylan said. "Can we go to the diner and get burgers and milkshakes?"

"Excellent idea, my good man," Beca said causing Dylan to giggle.

"I totes agree," Miss Beale said.

"You should come with it us," Dylan said.

"I'm sure Miss Beale has better things to do, Dyl," Beca said with a laugh.

"Not better than burgers and milkshakes," Miss Beale said with a bright simle. "And, please, call me Chloe. I'm really sorry I kept you waiting and I have something really important to ask you, but I have to run now. Aubrey called and her car broke down so I have to go get her. Can I call you-"

"Excuse me, Miss Beale," a voice said interrupting them.

Beca turned to see Tom, the guy Beca saw flirting with Chloe last week, and his daughter standing there.

"I'd like you to join me for dinner tonight," Tom said. "I'll pick you up about 6:00."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Henderson," Chloe said looking annoyed. "I do not date parents of my students. I've told you this before and I would appreciate it if you would just stop asking."

"Come on, Chloe," Tom said with a smirk. "You won't be her teacher forever. You're hot. I'm hot. Let's be hot together."

"Oh, my God," Beca said with a laugh.

"What's your problem?," Tom asks Beca.

"Dude, the woman said no," Beca said. "No, means no. Just have some respect for yourself and walk away."

"This is none of your business," Tom said.

"It is my business when all you fathers treat Miss Beale like a piece of meat," Beca said. "I've heard what you guys say about her and frankly it's disgusting and very disrespectful to Miss Beale and to women, in general. How would you feel if someone treated your daughter like that?"

Tom looked at Beca and then at his daughter. She was looking back at him wide-eyed and his heart melted. He sighed and looked at Beca.

"You're right," Tom said to Beca and then looked at Chloe. "I'm sorry, Miss Beale. I meant no disrespect. I'll, um, see you tomorrow. Have a good evening."

Tom turned and walked away.

"Thank you," Chloe said and pulled Beca into a hug.

"Um, you're welcome," Beca said patting her on the back.

"Oh, I have to run," Chloe said. "Aubrey's waiting."

"Oh," Beca said. "Um, that's fine. Did you still need to talk to me?"

"I almost forgot about that," Chloe said. "I do and I need to do it today. Can I intrude on dinner and just meet you, say, at 6:00?"

"That's fine," Beca said. "It's the one on 12th Street near Banks Road. We'll see you then."

Chloe hurries off and Beca takes Dylan to the car. She's getting him settled when her thoughts turn to Chloe.

"I wonder who Aubrey is?," Beca thought. "Is she Miss Beale's girlfriend? And Miss Beale is gay or bi? She gets more and more interesting every day."

"Hey, Dyl," Beca said. "I need to go by the studio to finish up some work on Taylor's last song for her album. We can leave from there to go to the diner and meet Miss Beale."

"Yay," Dylan said. "Can I be Spiderman this time?"

"You can be whoever you want," Beca said. "Can you reach the bag and find the Spiderman mask?"

"Got it," Dylan says and she glances back to see him put the mask on.

Beca parks in her spot at her recording studio and helps Dylan out. The paps start snapping pictures as she walks him into the building. Beca doesn't care if the paps want to take her picture, but she draws the line at having Dylan's picture taken. They devised the mask cover-up plan to keep his face hidden so no one would know what Dylan looked like. Dylan liked it because he could be Spiderman, Batman, the Hulk, and several other superheroes.

"Hey, boss," CR said when she saw Beca coming down the hall. "Yo, Spidey, what's up?"

"Hey, Aunt CR," Dylan said taking off the mask.

Beca spends the next two hours working on a track for Taylor Swift's new album that had been giving her trouble. She finally nailed it and was happy with the result. She coudn't wait for Taylor to hear it tomorrow. Once done she told Dylan to get his stuff together because they were already running a little late. They went out to the car and drove to the diner. Chloe was already there.

"I'm sorry we're late," Beca said as they were seated. "I was working on a track for Tay-, um, a new album that we have scheduled to drop in time for Christmas. It's the last track and then we can drop the first single by the end of the week."

"Were you going to say Taylor Swift? You were, weren't you?," Chloe asked with excitement. "She's one of my favorite singers."

"I can neither confirm, nor deny, that," Beca said. "And, you can't say anything about it."

"I won't," Chloe said. "I promise."

"Tay-Tay's album is really good," Dylan said.

"Dylan!," Beca said. "Remember what I said? We can't talk about it until it comes out on the radio."

"Sorry, mommy," Dylan said looking down at the table. "I forgot."

"You call Taylor Swift, Tay-Tay?," Chloe asked Dylan.

"That's what she told me to call her," Dylan says with a shrug.

"You are officially the coolest kid I know," Chloe told Dylan causing him to smile.

The waitress came and they placed their orders. After she left Chloe looked at Beca.

"I'm just going to jump right in here," Chloe said. "I really hate to ask you this, but we need someone to play the piano at our Christmas Concert on Wednesday night. Mrs. Devon broke her wrist over the weekend and we only have two days until the show. I don't know how to play and I don't know anyone else who does. I've asked all the teachers and none of the them can play. And Dylan said that you can play all kinds of instruments and so I thought that you might be willing to play-"

"I'll do it," Beca said.

"Yay," Dylan cheers.

"Really?," Chloe said with a smile. "Thank you so much. It's only two songs and I have the music right here. We practice during class, usually after lunch, so I don't know if you can make it, but it would be big a help if you could maybe come tomorrow and Wednesday so we can practice with you playing. If not, can you come to at least one and-"

"I'll be there both days," Beca said smiling.

"Thank you," Chloe says with a relieved sigh. "I'm sorry. I sort of ramble when I'm nervous."

"It's okay," Beca said with a laugh. "I do the same thing."

The waitress delivers their food and they begin to eat. Dylan talks excitedly to Chloe about the concert. Beca is watching as the two interact and can't help but smile.

"Wait. What?," Beca asked. "Did I hear you say you have a solo?"

"Yeah," Dylan says with a smile. "It was going to be a surprise for you."

"Since you'll be coming to practice with us," Chloe said. "I told Dylan he should tell you now about his solo. He's very talented and sounds awesome."

"I can't wait to hear you," Beca said and gave Dylan a quick hug.

"Can I try for the bear?," Dylan asked.

"Sure," Beca said with a laugh. "Here's two dollars. Make it count."

"Thanks," Dylan said as he grabbed the two dollars and hurried off.

Beca watched him to make sure she could see him. She looked at Chloe who was also watching Dylan. Chloe turned back to Beca with a smile.

"Try for the bear?," Chloe asked.

"Yeah," Beca said. "There's a bear in the claw machine that reminds him of one he had when he was a baby. It got lost and I've offered to buy him a new one but he won't let me. It's become our thing now. He always asks to try and when he doesn't succeed, he comes and asks me to try for it. I'm worse at it than he is. So, no luck so far."

"Oh, okay," Chloe says with a small giggle.

They sit quietly, not saying anything for a few minutes.

"I really want to thank you again," Chloe said. "For what you said to Mr. Henderson. No one's ever stood up for me like that before. I really appreciate it."

"Someone should have said something sooner," Beca said. "I should have said something sooner. I just don't get how guys think pushing themselves on women is okay. My favorite though, is when I tell them I'm gay, they act like it's only because I haven't been with them and they can make me see the 'error of my ways'. That, or they want a threesome."

"Oh, my God," Chloe said with a laugh. "I know what you mean, though. I don't flaunt that I'm bi, but I do wish people would just take no for an answer. And, trust me, some of the moms are just as bad as the dads. That's why I tell them I don't date my students' parent."

"I can believe that," Beca said. "Being well known, people think that the only thing I do is have cheap hookups and one-night stands. It gets tiring trying to be nice and still turn them down."

Dylan came back to the table and flopped in his chair, looking dejected.

"No luck?," Beca asked.

"No," Dylan said. "Can you try and get it for me?"

"Would you excuse me for a minute?," Beca said to Chloe. "This won't take long."

"Sure, go ahead," Chloe said. "I'll just finish my milkshake while I'm waiting."

Beca takes Dylan and walks over to the claw machine. Chloe watches them with a smile.

"You lied to me," a blonde woman said to Chloe as she sat down across from her.

"What do you want, Mrs. Thomas?," Chloe asked turning to see the woman sitting across from her.

"I thought I told you to call me Lesli," the woman said. "And, I thought you didn't date parents?"

"I don't," Chloe said.

"I know for a fact that Beca Mitchell is the mother of one of your students," Lesli said. "So, when can I take you out?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but this is not a date," Chloe said. "It's a meeting about the Christmas concert. And, I wasn't interested the last eight times you asked, and I'm still not interested. Go home to your wife."

"Of course you're interested," Lesli said with a smirk. "Look at me. Everyone is."

"Everything okay here?," Beca asked as she came back to the table.

"Everything will be much better once I nail down a day and time for our date," Lesli says not taking her eyes off Chloe.

"I told you I wasn't interested," Chloe said shaking here head. "Just leave me alone."

"Okay, your'e done here," Beca said looking at the woman. "You need to leave. I'll tell you the same thing I've told the scumbag fathers who keep bothering Miss Beale. No, means no."

"Then why are her eyes telling me yes?," Lesli says with a smirk.

"The only thing her eyes are telling you is to fuck off," Beca says glaring at the woman.

"Mrs. Thomas," Chloe said. "Just go. I'm not interested and if you insist on harassing me, I will have to talk to your wife about it."

"I'll leave," Lesli said as she stood up. "You know how to reach me when you come to your senses."

Lesli turns and walks away.

"I'm sorry," Beca said. "I didn't realize how bad it really was for you. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Chloe said with a smile. "Thanks. For standing up for me, again."

"Anytime," Beca said. "I mean that. No one should have to deal with that kind of shit on a daily basis just because they're attractive."

"Beca Mitchell thinks I'm attractive?," Chloe thinks to herself. Her heart beat a little faster and she can't help but smile.

"Will you be okay for a minute?," Beca asked. "I told Dylan to say where he was until I knew what was going on over here."

"Yeah," Chloe said. "I'll get the check."

Beca goes to get Dylan and Chloe gets the waitress' attention and asked for the check. The waitress came back with the check just as Beca and Dylan returned to the table. Beca took the check and handed the waitress some cash.

"Keep the change," Beca told her and turned to Chloe. "We'll walk you out to your car. In case someone decided to wait around for you."

"Thank you," Chloe said. "What do I owe for dinner?"

"Don't worry about it," Beca said. "It's on me. Consider it an apology for all the pushy moms and dads you have to deal with every day."

"Why, thank you, Ms. Mitchell," Chloe said with a smile.

Beca and Dylan walked out with Chloe. Beca keeping an eye out to make sure there weren't any paps hanging around. They were lucky and got Chloe to her car without any problems. Chloe unlocked her car door and turned to Beca.

"We have practice tomorrow starting around 12:40," Chloe said. "I'll see you then. And, I'll see you in the morning, Dylan."

"Bye, Miss Beale," Dylan said. "See you tomorrow."

Beca showed up to Chloe's class the next day around 11:45. She knew the kids had lunch at 12:00. She checked in at the office and headed to Chloe's class and knocked on the door. Chloe answered.

"Hi, I know I'm early," Beca said. "But I was hoping we could talk about the music before practice."

"Oh, sure," Chloe said. "Come on in."

Beca entered and sat at the back of the class until it was time for the kids to go to the cafeteria.

"Ms. Mitchell," Chloe said. "Would you like to walk with us so you can get something to eat?"

"Thank you," Beca said. "But, I actually brought something for us to share. I hope that's okay."

"It is," Chloe said. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Okay, class. It's time for lunch. Everyone line up."

Chloe got the kids together and settled in the cafeteria. When she came back Beca had pulled out two chicken caesar salads and two bottles of water for them.

"I hope this is okay," Beca said. "Dylan said you usually have a salad at lunch."

"This is perfect," Chloe said. "Thank you."

They ate while Beca talked to Chloe about the music for the Christmas program. They discussed a few ideas and Beca found herself laughing and having a really good time. The bell rang and Chloe stood up.

"Oh," Chloe said. "I need to go bring the kids back. We'll be back soon."

"Okay," Beca said. "I'll just warm up a bit."

Practice went well and Beca was proud of how well Dylan did. Beca stayed the rest of the afternoon and it was the end of the school day.

"Thank you so much for coming today," Chloe told Beca giving her a hug. "The kids really enjoyed themselves. We are going to have a great concert tomorrow night."

Beca and Dylan hung around chatting with Chloe until all the kids were gone.

"That was refreshing," Chloe said. "Not being hit on or ogled for once."

"I'm glad," Beca said. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow. If I bring you lunch, can we hang out before practice again? I actually enjoyed just hanging out today. I don't have too many really close friends. I'm never sure if someone is my friend because they like hanging out with me or just hanging out with someone famous."

"I'd love to hang out again," Chloe said. "But, do you think we can have pizza? Honestly, the only reason I usually have a salad is because I don't like the food they serve in the cafeteria and I don't always have time to pack something."

"I think I can manage that," Beca said with a laugh. "What toppings would you like?"

"Ham and pineapple," Chloe says. "Some places call it Hawaiian pizza."

"Ew, but okay," Beca said. "I'll see you tomorrow. And, thanks."

The next day Beca showed up a little before noon with pizza as promised. Chloe escorted the kids to the cafeteria at 12:00 and came back. Beca was looking at all the wrapped gifts that sat on Chloe's desk.

"Since the concert is tonight the kids decided to give me their gifts today," Chloe explained when she saw Beca checking out the gifts.

"I wish I'd known," Beca said. "Dylan is planning on giving you his tonight."

"That's so sweet," Chloe said. "I somehow have a feeling that his gift will be a little more appropriate than some of these."

"Are you going to open them now?," Beca asked. "I gotta admit, I'm somewhat excited and scared for you at the same time."

"Maybe after we eat," Chloe said laughing as she grabbed a slice of pizza.

The two women ate and laughed as they talked about music and anything else that came to mind. Beca knew they only had a short time before lunch would be over so she asked Chloe again if she was going open any of her presents.

"It might be fun to see what I got," Chloe said and grabbed one.

"Wait," Beca said taking the gift and smelling it. "This is from one of the kids who has a single dad and is some overpriced perfume. Somebody didn't read the flyer on an appropriate price for a gift."

Chloe laughed and took the gift. She looked at the tag and laughed again.

"You're half-right so far," Chloe said as she tore the paper off and found an expensive bottle of perfume. "Oh, my God! This stuff is like $75.00 a bottle How did you know this?"

Beca just smirked and picked up another one. She felt it and then sniffed it.

"Mmmm, candle," Beca said. "But, it's more of a romantic aroma than a Christmas one."

"What the hell is a romantic aroma?," Chloe asked with a laugh.

"Just open it," Beca said laughing as she handed the gift to Chloe.

Chloe took the gift and read the tag first. She shook her head because it was also from one of the students whose dad was single. She opened it and it was a candle. The fragrance was _Midnight Seduction_. Inside was a small card so Chloe opened it.

"You've got to be shitting me," Chloe said as she read the card.

"What does it say?," Beca asked looking over Chloe's shoulder. "Oh, my God! 'Perhaps you and I can have a little midnight seduction of our own. Call me'. That is so wrong."

"I can't believe he actually put this card in a gift from his child," Chloe said putting the card back in the envelope. "Ewww, just no!"

Chloe turned abruptly to put the card on the desk. She hadn't realized Beca was still standing right behind her and bumped into her almost falling. Beca caught her around the waist and Chloe's hands gabbed Beca's arms to steady herself. They were face to face and only inches apart. Chloe licked her lips slightly and stared at Beca. Beca just looked at Chloe and glanced down when she licked her lips. Beca swallowed the lump that was suddenly in her throat. She started to lean in when the bell rang causing them to break apart.

"I, um, need to," Chloe stammered. "I need to get the kids from the cafeteria."

Chloe turned and left without another word. Beca stood there and ran a hand through her hair.

"Way to go, Mitchell," Beca mumbled.

Things were just a little bit awkward between Beca and Chloe during practice, but it went well. As their practice time was ending Beca got a text saying she was needed at the studio.

"I'm sorry, Chl-, um, Miss Beale," Beca said. "I need to go. They need me at the studio. Is it okay if I take Dylan with me now? I promise we'll be on time for the concert tonight."

"That's fine," Chloe said as she wrote out a note. "Just take this to the office and sign him out before you leave."

Chloe handed Beca the note and their fingers touched sending a jolt through both women. Beca pulled her hand back and gave Chloe a small smile.

"Thank you," Beca said and led Dylan out of the room.

It took longer at the studio than Beca had anticipated. She rushed Dylan home so they could change and get to the school. They go rushing in and Dylan runs backstage to find his class. Beca drops off the cookies at the snack table and goes backstage to find Dylan. As soon as she gets backstage, she sees Chloe.

"Did Dylan find you?," Beca asked.

"Yeah," Chloe said. "He's with the rest of the class."

"I'm sorry about earlier," Beca said. "You know, the almost, um."

"It's fine," Chloe said. "We just kind of got caught up in the moment."

"Yeah," Beca said. "Totally."

The two women walk over to where Chloe's class was assembled. The concert has started and they were the second group to go onstage. It's their turn and the group gets settled and Beca starts playing "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Beca keeps stealing glances at Chloe, nearly missing Dylan's solo. He nails it and looks over at Beca with a grin. She smiles back and winks at him. Chloe's class finishes their second song and walk offstage. The kids are all excited and Dylan rushes over to Beca.

"Dude, you were awesome," Beca says and gives him a hug.

"Can I give Miss Beale her present now?," Dylan asks.

"Sure," Beca tells him and gets the gift out of her bag.

She hands him the gift and he runs off looking for Chloe. Beca follows and stops a few feet away.

"Miss Beale," Dylan says. "This is for you."

Dylan hands Chloe the gift and Chloe gives him a smile.

"Thank you, Dylan," Chloe says.

"You kind of need to open it now," Dylan says shyly.

"Oh," Chloe says. "Okay. Let's go over here out of the way."

Chloe leads Dylan to the side and sits on a chair. Dylan stands next to her and looks at her.

"Hmmm," Chloe says as she looks at the box. "I wonder what this could be?"

Beca walks over and stands next to Dylan. He looks up at her and smiles. Chloe unwraps the box and opens it. She gasps.

"Are you serious?," Chloe asked. "Beca, this is too much. I can't accept this. I'm pretty sure these are more than $15"

"Actually, they're not," Beca said.

"Beca," Chloe said. "These are tickets to a private Christmas Concert with Taylor Swift on Sunday. With backstage passes. As much as I want to, I, I can't accept them."

Dylan is looking on with a frown. Miss Beale doesn't like his gift.

"You don't like it?," Dylan asks with tears in his eyes.

"Oh, no, Dylan," Chloe says giving him a hug. "Sweetie, I love it. I just. I'm sorry but I just can't accept it."

"Yes, you can," Beca said. "See, I read the guidelines provided and we stayed within them."

Chloe raised a skeptical eyebrow at this.

"Just hear me out," Beca says. "The tickets were given to me, so they cost us nothing. As the producer on Taylor's new album, I automatically get backstage passes. Again, costing us nothing. The only thing we had to pay for was the thumb drive and it cost less than $15.00. You should really listen to what's on it by the way. Anyway, we followed the rules so you have no reason not to accept Dylan's gift. Merry Christmas."

Chloe smiled and squealed. She grabbed Dylan in a hug.

"Thank you, so much, Dylan," Chloe said. "This is the best gift I've ever gotten."

"The thumb drive has all of Tay-Tay's new songs on it," Dylan whispers. "Only you can't tell anyone until Friday when it gets played on the radio."

"Seriously?," Chloe asks looking up at Beca.

Beca just smiles and nods. Chloe jumps up and grabs Beca in a hug. Beca leans into the hug and pulls her closer. Chloe pulls back first. They look at each other and Beca clears her throat and lets Chloe go.

"Hey, Dyl," Beca said. "Let's go get some punch and cookies."

"Okay," Dylan says and grabs Beca's hand.

"I, um, guess we'll see you later," Beca tells Chloe before she and Dylan walk away.

Chloe chews on her bottom lip and watches them walk away. Beca is eating a snowman cookie and chatting with some of the other parents when Chloe walks up to them.

"Um, excuse me, Miss Mitchell?," Chloe says interrupting. "I'm sorry to intterupt but I was wondering if I could speak with you for a moment. I actually have something for you in my class."

"Sure," Beca says and excuses herself before following Chloe.

Chloe doesn't say anything as she leads Beca to her class room. As soon as Beca enters, she turns to Chloe.

"So," Beca says. "What did you have for me?"

Chloe grabs Beca around the waist and pulls Beca to her. "This" is all Chloe says before she smashes her lips into Beca's. Beca is momentarily stunned before she starts kissing Chloe back. Beca breaks the kiss and looks at Chloe.

"Um, so, um," Beca stammers. "That was nice. Really nice."

Chloe just smiles and leans in again for another kiss. Beca stops her.

"What about your no dating parents rule?," Beca asked.

"We're not dating," Chloe said. "We're just kissing."

Chloe kissed Beca again and Beca pulls back.

"I don't know what kind of girl you think I am, Miss Beale," Beca says with a smirk. "But, if there's going to be kissing, then there is definitely going to be dating."

"Okay," Chloe said pulling Beca into a deeper kiss.

Beca is the first to pull back from the kiss.

"You really want to go on a date with me?," Beca asked.

"Yes," Chloe said. "I really like you. And from the way you just kissed me, I think it's safe to say you like me too. Why do you sound so surprised? "

"Because I am a little surprised, to be honest," Beca said. "I figure with all those other parents trying to get your attention, one of them would be halfway decent enough to have gotten to you."

"One did," Chloe said smiling. "And you weren't even trying."

"You're not just saying all this because I can get you Taylor Swift tickets, are you?," Beca asked with a teasing grin.

"You found me out," Chloe said with a laugh.

Chloe leaned in to kiss Beca again. Beca pulled back before their lips connected.

"Want to be my date to concert on Sunday?," Beca asked.

"Do you seriously want to keep talking right now?," Chloe asked in a huff.

"You're right," Beca said. "Talking is totally overrated."

This time, Beca leaned in to kiss Chloe. And, yes, Chloe was Beca's date to the concert on Sunday.


	18. Beca Kringle

**Guest prompt: Beca as Santa's daughter (inspired by Kendrick's next movie) and she goes to give Chloe's daughter a Christmas present, and then they meet and it's love at first sight and blah, blah (let's say Chloe is a single mom, no drama please, just fun).**

 **I didn't follow the prompt exactly, but all the components are there. So, just for fun, I present to you** _ **Beca Kringle**_ **as told by, well, me.**

* * *

It's a week before Christmas and Santa's Workshop is buzzing with activity. Santa (aka Kris Kringle) sits in his chair rubbing his temples. His wife, Jessica, walks over to him and gives him a kiss on his rosy cheek.

"Have you heard anything from or about Beca?," Jessica asks.

"I'm sorry, dear," Kris says patting her hand. "I haven't heard anything yet. I've sent Jesse and Stacie out to her last known location to start looking for her."

"I'm just so worried," Jessica said. "She was very upset when she ran off."

"I understand not wanting to be part of the family business," Kris said. "But for her to run off like that without a word to anyone. I'm just at a loss."

"Don't worry, dear. They'll find her," Jessica said. "We just have to be patient."

"Jesse Kringle," his sister Stacie says. "Will you leave that dog alone and let's go. We need to find Beca. Mom and Dad are seriously worried."

"You know she'll come back when she's ready," Jesse said. "She always does. I have better things to do than to run around looking for her."

"She's our sister," Stacie said.

"Fine," Jesse said. "Where was her last known location?"

"It should be just up ahead," Stacie said walking in the direction she was pointing.

Jesse followed Stacie and they came upon the spot Beca was last known to be. Stacie looks around.

"She was here," Stacie said. "No wonder we haven't been able to track her. She took off her locator."

Stacie holds up the device showing it to Jesse. She waves her hand revealing a glitter trail.

"Good thing Dad created a backup tracker," Stacie said. "There's her trail. She definitely was here, and it wasn't too long ago."

"She went this way," Jesse said following the trail.

Stacie and Jesse followed Beca's trail to a music shop. They look inside but don't see Beca. Stacie waves her hand and the see the trail leading away from the shop. This goes on for a while. They'd follow the trail and lose it. Find it again, only to lose it again. They were just wandering all over L.A. when Stacie stops and smacks her forehead with the palm her hand.

"I should've thought of this before," Stacie said. "She's probably at one of the local hospitals. You now how much she likes visiting the kids."

"You're right," Jesse said. "Let's go."

Beca Kringle wandered around just going here and there. She loved that she couldn't be seen by anyone except for the occasional child. When they noticed her she'd make funny faces at them causing them to giggle. Their parents would look around wondering what they were laughing at. She wandered around until she found herself standing in front of a hospital. She looked up at the building and made her way inside. She walked around until she found her way to the children's ward. She always liked coming to the hospital because it made her feel good when she could make one of the sick children smile. She would stay to talk to and comfort them when no one else was around. This was one of the few things she got to do as the daughter of Santa Claus that she really enjoyed doing. She always volunteered for this job.

This time though, she came because she knew it would make her feel better. Her dad was giving her a hard time about not wanting to be a part of the family business. She just wanted to make music. Music made people happy and wasn't that what the family business was all about? Making people happy.

Beca wandered down the hall waving at some of the kids as she passed their rooms. She saw a little boy who was all alone. She went into this room.

"Hi," Beca said. "I'm Beca and Santa sent me to check on you."

"Santa Claus sent you to check on me?," the little boy said. "Will he still come if I'm in here in the hospital?"

"Of course he will, Bobby," Beca said.

"You know my name!," Bobby said. "Did Santa tell you?"

"Yes, he did," Beca said with a smile and a wink. "I know all the children's first names. What's your last name?"

"Miller," Bobby said.

Beca pulled out her phone and typed something on it.

"Hmm," Beca said. "Robert "Bobby" Miller, 7 years old, wants a Star Wars Lego set and a new basketball. You like Basketball?"

"Yeah," Bobby said. "I'm a Lakers fan like my dad."

"That's cool," Beca said. "Well, I'm not supposed to tell you this, but chances are really good that you'll get what you asked Santa for."

"Really?," Bobby said.

"Really," Beca said. "I also have it on good authority that you will get out of here soon. You just have to keep believing and you'll be out of here in no time."

"Thanks, Beca," Bobby said.

"Well, I have to go," Beca said. "I'll see you around."

"Bye, Beca," Bobby said, waving as she walked out the door.

Beca left Bobby's room and wandered down the hall. She looked in one room and saw a redheaded girl who looked like she was about five years old. She saw a mass of red hair spread out on the bed next to the girl. The person was holding the young girl's hand. The girl reminded her of another little girl. A little girl she thought about every single day. She thought back to the first she saw that little redheaded girl. It was the only time she remembers going with her dad on Christmas Eve to deliver toys around the world. She was five years old. She felt a strange connection to her even today. As she thought back she found herself rubbing her chest because she had a funny feeling running through it.

 _Flashback_

 _"This is so much fun, dad," five-year-old Beca said as they flew threw the air._

 _"Ho, Ho, Ho," Santa said with his jovial laugh. "Just think, you could be doing this every year when you grow up."_

 _Her dad would wave his hands and packages would magically float down into houses to land under the tree. Every so often, when her dad passed over a house where there was an especially good little girl or boy, he would land the sleigh on the rooftop and deliver the packages himself. Her dad landed the sleigh on one rooftop and hopped out and this time told her she could go with him. Beca jumped out, more excited than she had ever been in her life. She followed him and the next thing she knew she was standing in a living room as her father put presents under the tree. He handed her a cookie and she took it with a smile._

 _"Santa?," a small voice said._

 _Beca turned to see a little girl about her age._ _Beca just stared at her. This little girl was so pretty. She had red hair and big blue eyes. Her eyes were bluer than the bluest blue Beca had ever seen._

 _"Well, hello there, Chloe," Santa said._

 _"Hi, Santa," Chloe said with a smile and a wave before looking at Beca. "Who are you?"_

 _"This is my daughter, Beca," Santa said putting a hand on Beca's shoulder._

 _"You're pretty," Chloe told Beca._

 _"So are you," Beca said quietly._

 _"Come on, Chloe," Santa said. "We'd better get you back to bed."_

 _Santa walked Chloe back to her room and Beca followed. Chloe turned and hugged Beca before Santa put her into bed and wished her a good night. He then waved his hand and Chloe fell into a deep sleep, only remembering everything the next day as if it were a dream._

Beca shook her head at the memory. This wasn't the same girl. This girl's name was Sophie. Plus, the girl Beca remembers would be Beca's age by now. Beca entered the little girl's room and walked over to the bed. The little girl opened her eyes; her bluer than blue eyes, and smiled at Beca. Beca felt a fluttering in her stomach when she saw Sophie's eyes.

"Hi, Sophie," Beca said smiling back. "I'm Beca."

"Hey, my name's Beca, too," Sophie said. "Sophie Beca Beale. That's my whole name."

"Nice to meet you, Sophie Beca Beale," Beca said with a smile. "Why are you here in the hospital?"

"I fell and hurt my head," Sophie said.

"Ouch!," Beca said and then pointed to the person who's head was laying on the bed. "Who's this and what's their name?"

"That's my mommy," Sophie said. "Her name is Chloe."

"Chloe?," Beca said wondering if it could possibly be the same Chloe.

The redheaded woman lifted her head and looked around. She could've sworn someone called her name. Beca let out a gasp. It was her. She'd recognize her anywhere.

"Hey, Soph," Chloe said seeing she was awake. "How are you feeling, baby?"

"Fine," Sophie said. "Aren't you going to say hi to Beca?"

Beca's eyes flew open wide, hoping Chloe couldn't see her.

"Beca?," Chloe said looking around.

"She's right there," Sophie said pointing at Beca.

"Um, she can't see me," Beca said letting out the breath she was holding.

"How come?," Sophie asked sitting up.

"How come what, Sophie?," Chloe asked.

"Beca said you can't see her," Sophie said. "How come you can't see her?"

Beca and Chloe both looked at Sophie, neither one knowing what to say.

"Your mommy can't see me," Beca said. "Because I'm Santa Claus' daughter and she doesn't believe in Santa Claus any more. You can't see us if you don't believe in Santa Claus."

"You don't believe in Santa Claus?," Sophie asks her mother eyes wide with disbelief.

"What?," Chloe said clearly confused. "Sophie, what are you talking about?"

"Beca said you can't see her because she's Santa Claus' daughter," Sophie said. "And you can only see her if you believe in Santa Claus."

"I'm going to get the doctor," Chloe said and hurried out of the room.

"You need to tell them you were dreaming," Beca said quickly. "Otherwise they're going to think you have a concussion and will want to run more tests and you'll have to stay in the hospital for a while. You might not be able to be home for Christmas."

"Will you still be here if I do?," Sophie asked.

"Yes," Beca said as Chloe hurried back in with a doctor.

"Hi, Sophie," the doctor said. "How does your head feel."

"Better," Sophie said glancing at Beca.

"Your mommy said you were seeing things," the doctor said. "Like someone else in the room. Do you still see them?"

"I was just dreaming," Sophie said and Beca smiled at her. "I was dreaming that Santa Claus' daughter was here. Her name was Beca, just like my middle name."

Beca and Chloe both let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, that's good," the doctor said and turned to Chloe. "She's fine. The tests showed no concussion. We just want to keep her overnight for observation. You can take her home tomorrow."

"Hear that, Soph?," Chloe said. "You will be home for Christmas."

"Have a good evening," the doctor said. "I'll stop by and see Sophie in the morning."

"Thank you, doctor," Chloe said as the doctor left the room. "You had me worried, young lady."

"Sorry, mommy," Sophie said.

"It's okay, baby," Chloe said sitting on the bed and giving Sophie a hug. "I'm just really glad you're okay."

"Do you believe in Santa Claus?," Sophie asked again.

"I used to," Chloe said. "And I think sometimes I still do, but then things happen and I'm not so sure anymore."

"He's real, mommy" Sophie said hugging her mother tighter. "I know he is because I can really see Beca."

"Sweetie, that was just a dream," Chloe said.

"No, it wasn't," Sophie said pulling away from her mother with tears in her eyes. "She's still here. I **can** see her. She has brown hair and really pretty eyes. They're blue. Dark Blue. She's really pretty, too, mommy. You'd like her. She remembers you."

Beca started to panic. She should probably leave but couldn't. She gets an idea.

"Sophie," Beca said causing the girl to look in her direction. "Ask your mommy if she remembers the dream she had about Santa Claus."

"Beca wants to know if you remember the dream you had about Santa Claus," Sophie said looking back at Chloe.

"I do," Chloe said with a small smile. "I was about your age. I dreamt that I saw Santa putting presents under the tree."

"Was there someone with him?," Beca asked.

"Did he have someone with him?," Sophie asked.

"Yes, he did," Chloe said. "How do you know this?"

"Who was with Santa, mommy?," Sophie asked and Beca smiled.

"He said she was his daughter," Chloe said remembering back. "Her name was-. Oh, my God."

Chloe has her hand to her mouth and is staring at Sophie.

"She remembers you," Sophie said with a smile toward Beca.

Suddenly, Beca felt a warmth like she'd never known before. She looked up when she heard Chloe gasp and saw her looking right at her.

"It is you," Chloe whispers as she looks into Beca's eyes.

"You can see me?," Beca asks.

Chloe nods her head.

"This is not supposed to happen," Beca said panicking. "Um, I should probably leave now."

"No," Chloe said jumping up and grabbing Beca's arm. "Please stay."

"Beca!," Stacie said as she and Jesse rush into the room. "Thank goodness we found you."

"Of course you're here right now," Beca said looking at her brother and sister.

"Um, of course I'm here," Chloe said. "I'm not leaving."

"Hi," Sophie says and waves at Stacie and Jesse.

Chloe looks confused again.

"What's going on?," Chloe asked. "Sophie, who are you talking to now?"

"There's two more people here," Sophie said.

"It's just my sister and brother," Beca said.

"Sister and brother?," Chloe asks. "As in, more of Santa's children?"

"Yep," Beca says.

"Wait," Stacie said. "She can see you? And hear you? So, why can't she see us?"

"I don't know," Beca said. "Chloe, can you excuse me for a minute?"

Chloe just nods her head and goes back over to Sophie's bed. Beca drags Stacie and Jesse over to the corner of the room.

"We need to call mom and dad," Beca said. "I don't know why but as soon as Chloe remembered me, she could see me."

"But she can't see us," Jesse said. "So, it's not because she believes in dad."

"Exactly," Beca said. "And I didn't become visible on my own. So, why can she see me?"

"I'll call mom," Stacie said as she pulled out her phone.

Stacie pulled up her mom's number and pressed call. The phone rang twice before it was answered.

"Stacie, dear," Jessica said. "Have you found Beca?"

"Yes, we found her," Stacie said. "But, something weird is going on."

"Is she okay?," Santa asked.

"I'm fine, dad," Beca said. "It's just. I met Chloe and her daughter."

"You met Chloe?," Santa said. "That's wonderful."

"Dad," Beca said. "She remembers me, us. From that time when I was about five and made the rounds with you."

"And, let me guess," Jessica said. "She can see you even though you didn't show yourself and she doesn't believe in your dad."

"How did you know that?," Beca asked. "Mom, what's going on?"

"I'll tell you," Jessica said. "But, just don't freak out."

"Telling Beca not to freak out, is guaranteed to freak her out" Jesse said with a laugh.

Beca smacks him. Sophie starts laughing as she watched the three. Chloe just looks at Beca talking and smacking at the air. Chloe can't help but think that Beca is really beautiful. Maybe a little crazy as well, but really beautiful. When she looked into her eyes, she knew exactly who she was. She's dreamt of those eyes for most of her life. She's looked at every woman she's ever met, hoping to one day see those eyes again. Tears came to her eyes as she realized this truly was the woman she had been looking for.

"Go ahead, mom," Stacie says ignoring Beca and Jesse.

"Beca, my dear," Jessica said smiling. "You've found your true love."

"What?," Beca, Stacie, and Jesse all say.

"It's true," Santa said. "When you find your true love you will no longer be invisible to them. Chloe is your true love."

"I, that's, what?," Beca stammers.

"She's really pretty," Jesse said. "You did alright for yourself there, sis."

"Shut up," Beca said blushing and glancing over at Chloe.

"So, you guys are okay with this?," Beca asked. "With my true love being a woman?"

"Dear, love is love," Jessica said.

Beca just stares over at Chloe. Chloe is looking back at her and smiling. Beca's heart was beating faster. She couldn't believe all that was happening.

"Stacie, Jesse," Santa said. "Make yourselves visible to Chloe. Explain everything to her. And then call us back and put her on the phone."

"Okay, dad," Stacie said and ended the call.

Jessica laughed and looked at Santa.

"I wish I could be a fly on the wall for this," Jessica said.

"It will work out," Santa said taking Jessica's hand. "It did for us."

Chloe's eyes widened as two more people suddenly appeared in Sophie's room.

"I, I can see all three of you now," Chloe said.

"That's Jesse," Beca said pointing to him. "And, that's Stacie. I know this is all kind of a lot to take in. Stacie's going to try to explain it all to you."

"Right," Stacie said. "You might want to sit down for this."

Chloe sits on the bed and pulls Sophie to her. Jesse closes the door and stands next to Stacie.

"Okay," Stacie starts. "So, there are three ways adults can see us. One is if we allow them to, like Jessie and I just did. Another is if they truly believe in our dad, Santa Claus. The third is when we have found our true love."

Stacie stopped and watched Chloe to let what she said sink in. Beca watches Chloe as well. She suddenly sees the brightest smile light up Chloe's face. Chloe gets off the bed and walks over to Beca grabbing her into a hug. Jesse, Stacie, and Sophie all smile at the couple.

"How are you not freaking out about this?," Beca asked holding onto Chloe.

"I've dreamt about you my whole life," Chloe said pulling back to look at Beca. "Every girl, every woman I saw, I would look into their eyes hoping to see the blue eyes I remember. Even though I thought I had made you up in my dream, you were still very real to me. I've been in love with you for almost twenty years."

"So, it's true?," Beca said. "You are my true love."

"Looks like it," Chloe said with tears in her eyes.

"That explains so much," Beca said. "I've loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you when I was five years old. I've thought about you every single day over the years. I remember your eyes the most, too. I never imagined that I could actually find you and be with you. When you said you remembered me, I felt this warmth throughout my body and my heart started beating faster."

"That's love," Stacie said.

Beca and Chloe both smiled at her. Beca looked at Chloe. She slowly leaned in and connected their lips. Beca felt the same warmth she had felt earlier and pulled Chloe closer, deepening the kiss. They broke the kiss and Beca put her forehead against Chloe's.

"That's love," Chloe repeated and Beca smiled.

"We have to call mom and dad," Jesse said. "They want to talk to you."

"Santa wants to talk to me?," Chloe said wide eyed.

"Can I talk to Santa, too?," Sophie asked excited.

"Wait!," Beca says suddenly. "Hold on for just a minute. Chloe, can I talk to you over here?"

Chloe nods and Beca leads her to a corner of the room away from everyone else.

"What about Sophie's dad?," Beca said quietly. "How is this going to work with him and us?"

Chloe looked down at the floor, her cheeks flushed.

"Um, he won't be a problem," Chloe said. "Sophie is a result of a Frat party with too much tequila, raging hormones, and a broken condom. Not that I would ever change anything because she is my world. Her father ran when he found out I was pregnant. I notified him after she was born and he said he wanted nothing to do with her or me. I haven't heard from him since."

"Yes!," Beca said. "I mean, I'm sorry he-. Who am I kidding? I'm not sorry. I'm glad her father isn't in the picture. Do you think Sophie would be cool with having two moms?"

"I think she'd love it," Chloe says. "I know I would."

Beca kisses Chloe and Stacie clears her throat causing them to break the kiss.

"Oh, right," Chloe said and led Beca back over to the group.

"Let's call mom and dad," Beca said smiling.

Stacie pulled out her phone and made the call.

"So," Jessica said answering on the first ring. "How'd it go?"

"Mom," Beca said smiling. "I'd like you to meet Chloe, and her daughter, Sophie."

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Santa," Sophie says causing everyone to laugh.

"Hello, my dear Sophie," Jessica said with a laugh.

"Hi, Sophie," Santa calls out. "Ho, Ho, Ho."

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Claus," Chloe says. "I'm Chloe. It's a pleasure to speak with you both."

"Oh, Chloe Anne Beale," Santa says. "You always were one of my favorites."

Chloe blushed and Beca nudged her shoulder and smiled at her.

"I have a little story to tell you and Beca," Santa said. "You see, when I took Beca with me on that Christmas Eve almost 20 years ago, it was so that she could meet you, Chloe. Mrs. Claus and I already knew that you two were destined for each other. The only thing I am allowed to do is help you meet. The rest is up to you."

"So, you knew Chloe was my true love," Beca said. "When were just five?"

"Yes, we did," Jessica tells them. "And, I'm so glad you found each other. I was ready to break all the rules to get you two together."

"Hold on a minute," Jesse cuts in. "Does this mean that Stacie and I have a true love we've already met?"

"Um, uh," Santa said. "Jessica dear, do you want to take that one?"

"You both have met them already," Jessica answers Jesse. "But, before you ask, just like we couldn't tell Beca, we can't tell you. Just know that both of you will find your true loves within a year."

"Oh, my gosh," Stacie says. "We can have a triple wedding."

"No, we can't," Beca said. "I've waited twenty years to find my way to Chloe. I want to be a permanent part of her and Sophie's life and I'm not waiting any longer than I have to for that to happen. I'm planning for our wedding happening as soon as possible."

Chloe smiled and pulled Beca into a deep, intense kiss. Chloe breaks the kiss and looks at Beca with a huge smile.

"If that's your way of proposing," Chloe said. "I accept."

"Yes," Beca says with a fist pump.

"Does this mean, I get to call Santa and Mrs. Claus grandma and grandpa?," Sophie asks.

"Ho, Ho, Ho," Santa laughs. "We love the sound of that."

"I can't believe this is all happening," Chloe said holding onto Beca.

"Sophie," Jesse said. "I bet if you asked _grandpa_ nicely, he'll grant the second part of your wish."

"What wish?," Chloe asked picking up Sophie.

"I sent Santa a letter," Sophie said. "I wished that he would bring you the girl with the pretty blue eyes that you always talked about."

"That would be me," Beca said with a smile, wrapping her arms around Chloe and Sophie.

"And the second part?," Chloe asked.

"I can answer that," Santa said. "Sophie, how would you and your mommy like to make a visit to the North Pole after Christmas? Meet your new grandma and grandpa in person."

"Yes!," Sophie shouts and claps her hands. "See, mommy. I told you Santa was real. And, now he's gonna be my grandpa."

* * *

 **Fun Fact: I used the name Jessica for Mrs. Santa Claus (aka Mrs. Kris Kringle) because the only place I could find a first name for her was from the 1970 U.S. children's classic** _ **Santa Claus is Coming to Town,**_ **not because it's the name of one of the Bellas. Just thought you might want that little piece of information.**

 **I hope you had as much fun reading this as I had writing it. Until tomorrow.**


	19. Christmas Cupid

Sophie Mitchell, 9-year-old daughter of famed DJ TitaniumB, found her assigned class and walked in. She looked around for a minute and saw two women standing near the back of the room. One was a redhead, whom she assumed was Ms. Beale, the new teacher they heard was taking Mrs. Palmer's place since she retired. The other was Ms. Jakle, another third grade teacher. Her friend Jeanie came in and they found desks next to each other and sat down. The bell rang and the blonde left the room while the redhead made her way to the front of the class.

"Good morning, class," the redhead said. "Welcome to third grade. I'm Miss Beale, but please call me Miss B. I will be making a seating chart so where you are sitting when I'm done, is where you will be sitting for the entire school year. If you don't like your current seat, you have exactly 60 seconds to change it if you want. Time starts, now."

Miss Beale watched the clock as a couple of students moved to find a seat by their friends. Sophie and Jeanie sat where they were.

"Okay, that's it," Miss Beale said. "I'll call your names and I want you to raise your hand so I can mark you seat."

Miss B went through the student roster and marked where they were sitting on her seating chart.

"Sophie Mitchell," Miss B called out and Sophie raised her hand.

Miss B looked at her and furrowed her brow. Sophie wondered what that was about. Miss B shook her head and continued. She started talking about what they would be learning that year. She handed out a calendar which she had color coded with due dates for book reports, science projects, etc.

The school day finally ended and Sophie walked out with Jeanie. They talked about Miss B and how much they liked her already. They made their way to the exit and Sophie saw David, her mother's sometime driver, waiting patiently in the pickup line. She told Jeanie goodbye and said she'd see her tomorrow. She rushed over and jumped into the backseat. David chatted with her about her first day as he drove her home.

"Mom, I'm home," Sophie called out as she entered the house. "Mom? Are you here?"

Sophie drops her backpack by the front door and goes to the studio door. It's closed so she knows her mother is working. She pulls out her phone and sends her mom a text letting her know she was home. Sophie goes to the kitchen for a snack and a few minutes later her mom comes wandering in. She gives Sophie a kiss on top of her head.

"Hey, kiddo," Beca says. "How was the first day?"

"It was okay," Sophie said. "I like my teacher, Miss B. She's new. She's all business but she knows how to add a little fun to the lesson as well. She actually sang the elements song to us during our science lesson. It was funny but she has a really good voice so it wasn't too bad."

"I'm glad," Beca said. "What do you want for dinner?"

The days passed, the next pretty much like the last, and soon it was Halloween. Sophie came down dressed in black skinny jeans, a purple plaid shirt (that was her mother's), and wearing black combat boots. She grabbed one of her mom's hats off the rack.

"Mom," Sophie said as she came into the kitchen. "Can I borrow a pair of your sunglasses? I need them to complete my costume."

"What are you supposed to be?," Beca asked looking her daughter up and down.

"I am DJ TitaniumB," Sophie said putting on the sunglasses.

"Cute," Beca said.

"I'm not cute, I'm badass," Sophie said throwing Beca's trademark smirk.

"Not bad," Beca said with a smile. "You know, you look just like me."

Beca was dropping Sophie off at school and heard her name.

"Hey, Beca," Lauren Maxwell said and winked at Beca. "You're looking hot today."

"Th- thanks," Beca said and kept walking.

"What is wrong with her?," Sophie asked her mom. "I hate when the moms say things to you like that. It's kind of gross."

"I agree," Beca said. "I gotta go. Have a great day. Don't forget David will be picking you up after school."

"I know," Sophie said. "Can you wait a minute? I want you to meet Miss B."

"I'm sorry, Soph," Beca said. "I'm already late. I'll meet her another time."

Everyone, including Miss B, dressed up for Halloween. When Sophie walked in Miss B looked at her and asked who she was supposed to be.

"I'm DJ TitaniumB," Sophie said. "She's a very popular DJ and totally awesome."

"She's really good," Miss B said. "I heard her play at _Club Intrigue_ when I first got to L.A. And from what I remembered, you look just like her. All mysterious because you can't really see her face to know what she looks like."

"Only a few people know who she is," Sophie told her. "It's part of what makes her so awesome."

Miss B said smiled and said, "You'll have to take off the sunglasses while you're in class, okay?"

"No problem," Sophie said.

It was just before Thanksgiving break when Miss B asked Sophie to tryout for the Christmas program she was in charge of. Sophie eagerly agreed. That night Sophie told her mom she would be staying after school the next today for tryouts and her mom said she'd pick her up.

When Miss B heard Sophie sing, she chose her to sing "Silent Night" for the program. Sophie was excited and couldn't wait to tell her mom. Her song was going to close the show. Beca made her way to the Auditorium to find Sophie. She saw her sitting with some of her friends and decided to just sit a little ways in the back to wait for her. She sent Sophie a text to let her know she was behind her. Sophie turned searching for her and Beca gave her a wink.

Beca spent most of the time responding to messages on her phone. The club was booked through New Year's with special events and she needed to keep on top of things.

"Hey, mom," Sophie said getting her attention. "I want you to meet Miss B. Stay right there."

Beca just nodded as her phone rang. She answered and was walking up the aisle to talk without disturbing anyone. Beca heard footsteps behind her and turned around. She froze when she saw who was standing there.

"Beca?," Chloe said.

"No fucking way," Beca whispered and then said into the phone. "I'll have to call you back."

Beca ended the call and just stared at the redhead she hadn't seen in almost 10 years.

"Oh, my God," Chloe said and pulled Beca into a hug.

"Chloe Beale," Beca said hugging her back. "I can't believe it."

"I'm guessing you two already know each other?," Sophie asked looking back and forth between Beca and Chloe.

"Beca," Chloe said slapping her on the arm. "What the hell? I don't hear anything from you for 10 years and then you're suddenly standing in front of me, with a daughter no less. We need to do some serious catching up. And, my first question is going to be why did you leave and where the hell have you been?"

"It's a long story," Beca said. "Why don't you come over for dinner tonight and we can talk."

"I'd like that," Chloe said. "The girls are never going to believe this."

"If you're done here," Beca said. "You can just follow us home."

"Can you give me five minutes?," Chloe said. "I just need to dismiss everyone."

Beca and Sophie wait for Chloe and she follows them home. On the drive, Sophie is asking Beca about Chloe.

"So, how exactly do you know Miss B?," Sophie asked.

"We went to college together," Beca told her. "I went to Barden University for freshman year before I moved L.A. Chloe's the one who actually got me to audition to become a part of the Barden Bellas."

"What are the Barden Bellas?," Sophie asked.

"It's an all girl a capella group," Beca said.

"No way!," Sophie yells. "You, DJ TitaniumB, sang in a college a capella group? I have to google this."

"Oh, God," Beca said.

Sophie pulls out her phone and googles the Barden Bellas. She clicks on the first link that pops up and it goes to a video.

"Ew!," Sophie says. "Who is that throwing up all over the stage?"

"That's Aubrey," Beca said. "Chloe's best friend. That was the year before I joined. She was a stress vomiter. Probably still is. I have some videos of me as a Bella on a thumb drive at home. I'll let you watch them."

"This is so cool," Sophie says with a huge grin.

Beca pulls into the driveway of their home and Chloe follows. They park and all get out of the cars.

"Holy shit, Beca," Chloe said looking at the house. "This house is very fancy. What exactly do you do?"

"Language," Beca said nodding her head toward Sophie.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Sophie," Chloe said.

"It's okay," Sophie said. "My mom says a lot worse."

"Soph!," Beca says.

Chloe and Sophie both laugh. The all head into the house, with Chloe trying take everything in.

"How about Chinese for dinner?," Beca asks.

Everyone agrees and Beca calls in the order for delivery. Sophie and Beca sit on the sofa and Chloe sits in the chair across from Beca.

"Okay," Beca says. "I guess I owe you an explanation. Sophie's heard the story before, well everything except me being a Barden Bella."

"I still can't believe it," Sophie says with a laugh.

"Anyway," Beca says with a sigh. "After I kissed Jesse at the ICCAs, we went out for all of like three weeks. We had, um, we did-

"You had sex, mom," Sophie said. "You can say it. I've heard it all before."

Chloe bit her lip to keep from laughing at Beca. She hasn't changed a bit. She was still the same girl she fell in love with.

"I think I'm still a little bit in love with her," Chloe thought. "Oh, shit."

"Fine," Beca said. "We had sex and three days later we were over. Being with Jesse made me realize something about myself and that's why I broke it off so quickly. Anyway, I found out I was pregnant a month later and Jesse wanted nothing to do with me or the baby. I told my dad and he was more worried about his reputation than he was me. So, I blackmailed him. I forced him to pay for me to go to L.A. so his unmarried, pregnant daughter wouldn't be around Barden to besmirch his good name. I made him pay for an apartment and all my medical bills. All I had to do was to keep my mouth shut. Which meant I couldn't tell anyone at Barden for fear someone would talk. I know it was a crappy thing to do, but I changed my number and tried to forget the fact that my time at Barden ever happened. After Sophie was born, I found a job at an up and coming club and became the house DJ. I became pretty well known and I did very well for us. So well, in fact, that a couple of years ago, I became part owner of _Club Intrigue_. It is one of the hottest L.A. clubs and I DJ there every Friday and Saturday night. I make good money from my DJ work, but now I have more income from the club itself."

"Wow," Chloe said. "That's a lot to take in. I was really upset when I found out you didn't come back to Barden for your sophomore year. We tried to find you. Find out what happened to you. No one knew where you were or what had happened to you. It was like you fell off the face of the earth."

"I know," Beca said. "And, I'm really sorry for that. I hope we can be friends again."

There was a knock on the door and Sophie jumped up to get it.

"We've always have been," Chloe said with a smile. "And always will be, um, friends."

"Food's here," Sophie said. "Let's eat."

Beca and Chloe followed Sophie into the kitchen. Chloe and Sophie sat at the counter and Beca went to the refrigerator and pulled out two beers.

"If I remember correctly," Beca said holding a bottle out to Chloe. "You used to like a beer with your Chinese."

"I still do," Chloe said taking the beer. "I can't believe you remember that."

"I remember a lot of things," Beca said smiling as she handed Chloe a beer.

"Look at the way my mom is looking at Miss B," Sophie thinks as she watches her mom and Chloe. "Miss B looks at her the same way. I am so going to get them together."

"Oh, shit," Chloe suddenly exclaimed. "You're DJ TitaniumB!"

"Guilty," Beca said.

"I should have realized it was you," Chloe said. "Your mixes sounded so familiar when I heard them. And I should have realized Sophie was related to you. When I first saw her in my class, I felt like I was looking at a younger you."

Chloe smiled at Beca and Beca smiled back at Chloe. Sophie watched the interaction between her mom and her teacher. When she saw the way her mom looked at Miss B, she smiled as well.

Rehearsals for the Christmas program were underway and Sophie walked around the house singing "Silent Night" all the time. Beca would help her by playing the piano while she sang. The show was just a week away and Beca had come to pick Sophie up early and also to watch Chloe, um, I mean, some of the rehearsal. She had just walked in when she was met by Donna Walker, one of the other mothers.

"So, Beca," Donna Walker said standing in front of Beca and running hand down her arm. "I was wondering if you were free Friday Night. I'm thinking you, me, a bottle of wine, and some silk sheets."

"Um, I don't," Beca stammers.

She looks around and over Donna's shoulder sees Chloe standing their biting her lip to keep from laughing. Beca gives her a 'help me' look and Chloe smiles.

"Oh, there you are," Chloe said walking up to Beca and grabbing her arm, forcing Donna to pull her hand back. "We need to talk about you playing the piano for the singers at the performance."

"Sure," Beca said distracted by how close Chloe was to her. "I'd love to. Anything you need."

"Would you excuse us, Mrs. Walker?," Chloe said sweetly. "We really need to rehearse and Beca's a big part of our show."

"Of course," Donna says and winks at Beca. "I'll see **you** later."

Beca watches as Donna walks away and lets out the breath she'd been holding.

"Oh, my God," Beca said. "Thank you."

"Oh no, Beca," Chloe said with a grin. "Thank you. You playing the piano for us is such a big help."

"Wait! What?," Beca said. "I'm not. . .I didn't. . .Fine."

Sophie watched with a smile as Miss B wrapped her hands around her mother's arm and walked towards the stage. She had been doing everything she could to make sure her mom and Miss B spent a lot of time together. And seeing them just now, she got an idea.

"Miss B?," Sophie called out and ran over to her. "I just had an idea. I was wondering if I could talk to you and my mom about it."

"Sure, Sophie," Chloe said. "Come with us."

"Okay," Sophie said and they settled around the piano. "I was watching this Christmas special and Kelly Clarkson sang "Silent Night" with Trisha Yearwood and Reba McEntire. It was awesome. I thought maybe the three of us could do the same thing. Really close the show with a bang."

"I like it," Chloe said. "What do you say, Becs? It'll be just like old times. Us singing together. Oooh, I'll invite the Bellas to the show. We can have a reunion."

"I don't know, Chlo," Beca said. "I'm all for the singing, but I'm not so sure about the Bellas thing. I was only with the group for a year and just left without a word to anyone. They probably hate me."

"No they don't," Chloe said. "We're all still in touch and when I told them I found you, they were all excited and wanted to know when they would be able to see you."

"Really?," Beca said in disbelief.

"Really," Chloe said and smiled.

"Okay, then," Beca said with a smile. "Let's do this. We can invite everyone to my house after the show. Make it a real reunion."

"This is going to be so awesome," Sophie said with a big smile.

"Aca-awesome," Chloe said with a grin.

"Oh, God," Beca said.

It was the night of the show and Beca was more nervous than the kids. She paced back and forth backstage, afraid to look out and see any of the Bellas. The show was about to start and Beca walked out, eyes glued to the floor. She sat at the piano staring at the keys.

"Shawshank!," the voice she knew as Fat Amy yelled out causing Beca's head to jerk up. She couldn't help but smile when she saw not only Amy, but the rest of the Bellas as well. Chloe stepped out on stage and began the show. Beca was enjoying herself and it was finally time for her to sing with Chloe and Sophie. Sophie came out on stage and Beca started playing the piano. Chloe came onstage for the second verse and Jessica Jakle slid onto the piano bench to take over playing when it was Beca's turn to join the song.

After the song was done, the place erupted and they got a standing ovation. The Bellas of course leading the charge. Chloe's smile was so big it reminded Beca of the night they won the ICCAs and it brought back so many memories. The show was over and the kids went to find their parents and everyone went home. The Bellas had all come backstage and greeted Beca warmly. They all headed out and went to Beca's house. Beca had gotten a caterer to set up food and drinks so everything was ready when they got there.

"Wow, Shawshank," Amy said looking around the house. "You've done alright for yourself."

"We all knew you were going to be something," CR said.

"I want to know what made her leave Barden," Aubrey said. "Without a word to anyone, especially Chloe."

"Brey, don't," Chloe said glaring at Aubrey.

"Come on, Red," Amy said. "We all know you had a toner for her. And, we all thought she felt the same about you. We were really surprised that you didn't know where she was or why she left."

"You had a toner for me?," Beca asked.

"What's a toner?," Sophie asked.

"A toner is a musical boner," Amy said.

"Amy!," Beca yelled. "She's only nine."

"Mom," Sophie said. "I know what a boner is."

"I don't even want to know how you know that," Beca said.

The Bellas all laughed. Once they settled down, Beca told them the story of why she left. She apologized to all of them and they all accepted. And the party went on. Beca found herself alone in the kitchen with Chloe.

"So," Beca said. "You had a toner for me at Barden?"

"Oh, God," Chloe said blushing. "Yeah, I did. Kind of still do actually."

Beca was a bit taken aback by this revelation. She smiled.

"I have a confession to make," Beca said. "I kind of had a toner for you, too."

"Why didn't you ever say anything?," Chloe asked.

"I didn't know how," Beca said. "I thought it was weird that I had these feelings for you. I, I realized after I had sex with Jesse that all I could think about was you. Remember how I said I realized something about myself? I realized that I was gay, or at least bi, and that I had feelings for you. I wanted to say something, but then I found out I was pregnant and everything else happened so fast. I just thought it wasn't meant to be."

"How about now?," Chloe asked taking a step closer to Beca. "How do you feel now?"

"I feel like kissing you," Beca said.

"And, what are you going to do about that?," Chloe asked taking another step closer to Beca.

Beca doesn't say a word and closes the distance between them. She grabs Chloe around the waist and smashes her lips against Chloe's. Chloe bring her hands up around Beca's neck and pulls her closer, deepening the kiss.

"Yes!," they hear Sophie exclaim causing them to break the kiss.

They both turn, still holding onto each other with glazed looks on their faces, to see Sophie and the rest of the Bellas smiling at them.

"It's about time," Aubrey says and the rest of the Bellas agree.

Chloe turns to look at Beca.

"Are we too old to call each other girlfriend?," Chloe asked. "I need to let all those moms that keep hitting on you know you're mine now."

"I am?," Beca said with a smirk.

"Yes, you are," Chloe said and pulled Beca into another heated kiss.

* * *

 **Guest prompt: Chloe hasn't seen Beca in 10 years. She is also Beca's daughther's teacher. They finally meet at a school Christmas play. Chloe is upset and mad she hasn't seen Beca in years also she didn't know Beca's kid was her student. But Chloe still have feelings for Beca. Beca is a bigshot DJ that keeps getting hit on by PTA moms. Beca feels really bad that she never got to tell Chloe the real truth about her daughter. Also, the kid tries to play Cupid for Christmas. She noticed Chloe has a thing for her mom.**


	20. Beca, Chloe, and Amy, Oh My!

**Hey, everyone! I just want to thank you all for your reviews/favs/follows. You guys/gals are the absolute best. Also, I'm not taking any more prompts for this collection, but I will accept prompts that I will use for a collection of one-shots that I'm planning (sorry, again, no major smut is going to happen).**

 **This prompt is from RJRMovieFan and is listed in its entirety at the end of the chapter. The prompt kind of tells the whole story and I don't want any preconceived ideas in your head when you read it. I don't always use exactly what's submitted but stick to the basic idea. Or, as malexfaith, says I "change it to make it my own." [Thank you, malexfaith! Those words Make me feel all wam and fuzzy inside.]**

 **Also, meant to say this before, but Electronis Zappa has some Christmas oneshots under "12 Days of Pitchmas", which I apparently help inspired him to write and he used my prompt as his first one-shot. Go check it out for more Christmas feels.**

* * *

Beca ran through the Atlanta airport, her luggage bouncing around behind her as she tried to hold on to her backpack. She knew she was cutting it close, thanks to Amy. She wondered why she was even friends with the girl. She saw her gate and sped up. She came to an abrupt stop when she saw that the door was closed and there was no plane sitting at the gate. She missed her flight.

"Dammit, Amy!," Beca said.

She went up to the ticket counter and asked about another flight.

"I'm sorry," the agent said. "That was the last plane to leave. This storm is expected to get worse and so the airport has grounded everything. We don't know when we'll be able to start letting flights out again. Is there anything else we can help you with? Perhaps, some lodging options for the night."

"No, thanks," Beca said thoroughly disappointed.

She pulled out her phone and called Chloe's number.

"Hey, Becs," Chloe said cheerily. "Are you supposed to be on your phone right now?"

"I missed my plane," Beca said sadly. "And there aren't any more leaving because of this freak snow storm."

"Oh, Beca," Chloe said feeling bad. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Beca said. "Can you ask Amy to come back and get me?"

"We're still in the airport," Chloe said. "Amy wanted to get something to eat before we headed back to Barden. I tried to tell her it looked the storm was getting worse, but you know how she is."

"Where are you guys?," Beca asked.

Chloe told her and Beca hurried to catch up with them.

"Beca!," Chloe said jumping up to hug her. "I'm so sorry you missed your plane."

"Me, too," Beca said. "My mom was looking forward to seeing me and I was looking forward to being with her."

"Hey, Shawshank," Amy called out. "I thought you were on a plane."

"I missed it," Beca said through clenched teeth. "Thanks to you and your 45 minute stop at the gas station. I should have called an Uber."

"Hey," Amy said. "When the pipes need to be unclogged, you have to let them do their thing."

"Gross," Beca said. "I'll have to call my mom and tell her I won't be there for Christmas."

"Don't make that call," Chloe said. "Give me your laptop. I'm going to find another way to get you to Portland."

Beca takes her laptop out of her backpack and gives it to Chloe. She boots it up and starts typing. She clicks through a few websites and then lets out a squeal.

"You can take the Greyhound bus," Chloe said. "Look."

Chloe turned the laptop and Beca looked at the website Chloe had up.

"I wish I could," Beca said. "But I don't have enough money. I spent most of what I had on my plane ticket."

"Invite us to go with you," Amy said. "And, I'll pay for the bus tickets."

"What?," Beca said.

"Amy, that's sweet of you," Chloe said. "But, we don't have any clothes or anything."

"I'm sure Beca's mom has a washer and dryer," Amy said. "Or, you can wear something of Beca's until we can go shopping. I have loads of money thanks to my parents so everything is on me. Since Beca thinks it's my fault she missed her plane."

"It is your fault," Beca said. "But, Amy's right, Chlo. Come with me to Portland. I know my mother would love to have you guys. Please?"

"Come on, Red," Amy said. "It's better than eating some cardboard takeout and pining over Shawshank for two weeks."

Chloe threw Amy a glare and Beca just looked at her confused.

"Okay," Chloe said thinking it over. "Let's do it."

Chloe looks on the computer and is going to purchase tickets but the website won't let her.

"We need to get to the bus station," Chloe said. "According to the website, there's a bus station here at the airport. There's a bus leaving at 4:30 and it's 3:45. We have to go. See if we can grab a shuttle or something."

Beca grabbed her stuff and the three girls hurried out of the terminal. They walked down the outside of the terminal and finally see a shuttle. They run over to it only to find out it didn't go anywhere near the bus station. They looked around for some other way to get to the station. They don't see much of anything moving traffic wise. The sit down on a bench all looking dejected.

"You ladies look a little lost," a man's voice said. "Can I help you with something?"

"No thanks," Beca said.

"We need to get to the bus station," Chloe said with a smile. "It's not that far."

"I can get you there," the man said. "The names Cal. I have a four-wheel drive truck and I know how to use it."

"Yay," Chloe squeals and jumps up and down.

"No," Beca says.

"Let's go then, Cal," Amy said. "We have a bus to catch."

"Hop in ladies," Cal said and helped the girls into his truck.

Cal drove carefully and got them to the bus station in about 15 minutes. The girls all thanked him as they got out of the truck. He wished them luck and drove off. The three girls hurry into the bus station and go to the ticket counter.

"We need three tickets for the 4:30 bus to Portland, Maine," Amy said.

The agent printed the tickets and Amy paid for them. The agent handed the tickets over.

"You'd better hurry," the agent said. "The bus is already loading and will be leaving in just a bit."

The three girls yelled a thank you and ran out to the buses. They hustled onto the bus and looked around to find seats.

"There. In the back," Beca said with a nod at three seats near the back.

Beca made her way down the aisle first, with Chloe behind her and Amy bringing up the rear. There were only single seats so Beca stops next to an older man and looks at him.

"Excuse me," Beca said. "Would you mind moving to the empty seat behind you so my friend and I can sit together?"

"No," the man said tersely.

"Seriously?," Beca said with raised eyebrows.

"Let me try," Chloe said as Beca moved forward so Chloe could talk to the man. "Sir, we would really appreciate if you would move. It's just one seat back."

"I told your little girlfriend no," the man said. "And, now, I'm telling you no. I'm not moving."

"Why you-"

"Beca," Chloe said holding her arm out to stop Beca from doing anything to the man.

Chloe then leaned over the seat and said something quietly to the man. He looked at Chloe and then at Beca. Beca glared at him.

"Fine," the man said and got up to move.

"Thank you," Chloe said brightly.

They maneuvered themselves so they could all get seated. Chloe was in the aisle and Beca was by the window.

"What did you say to him?," Beca whispered. "Oh, my God! You didn't offer him any kind of sexual favors to move did you?"

"Beca!," Chloe said laughing as she slapped Beca's arm. "I just told him that if he didn't move he would have to sit next to you for, like, the next twenty hours."

"I don't know whether to be offended or impressed by that," Beca said and laughed.

"I'm telling you it was dingoes and crocodiles," they could hear Fat Amy saying.

"Oh, God," Beca said. "She's going to get us thrown off the bus before we even leave the terminal."

The driver announces that they are ready for departure. He walks down the aisle and checks everyone's tickets. He then gets behind the wheel and they are on their way.

"I want to thank you, and Amy," Beca said. "I don't know what I would've done if you guys hadn't still been at the airport. Or if you hadn't found the bus info."

"I couldn't let you miss Christmas with your family," Chloe said.

"Why aren't you with yours?," Beca asked digging through her backpack looking for her ear buds. "I can just imagine what a Beale family Christmas would be like. A real tree that you probably cut down yourselves. Put up ornaments that have been in the family for years, including ones you made while in elementary school. And, sit around drinking hot chocolate and eating homemade cookies while singing Christmas carols."

Beca turns to Chloe with a smile, only to see tears falling from Chloe's eyes.

"I didn't mean to make you sad," Beca said taking Chloe's hand in hers. "I'm sure they miss you not being there. Why don't you call and let them know you're not spending Christmas alone and you'll be in Portland with friends."

"I, I can't," Chloe said and put a hand to her mouth to hold back a sob.

Beca didn't know what to do. Chloe doesn't cry, at least not like this. She pulls Chloe into a hug and rubs her back.

"Sh," Beca said. "It's okay. I got you."

Chloe cries into Beca's shoulder. Beca glares at the man across the aisle who is making it obvious that Chloe's crying is disturbing him. Chloe calms down and wipes her face on her sleeve. She sits back in her seat.

"Want to talk about it?," Beca asked.

"My, um," Chloe said and clears her throat. "My family is gone. They were killed in a car accident just after I started at Barden. Home doesn't feel like home without them all there so I usually spend Christmas with Aubrey. This year her family went on a cruise and so I decided to just stay at Barden. It feels more like home than Tampa."

"Oh, Chloe," Beca said. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I'm such an idiot."

"No, you're not," Chloe said and squeezed Beca's hand. "You didn't know. I don't really talk about it so most people don't know. But, you were pretty spot on. We did cut down our own tree. And, my mom kept all the ornaments my sister and I made in school and put them on the tree every year. I just really miss it. Miss them."

Chloe wiped the tears from her face. Beca put her arm around Chloe's shoulder and gave her a side hug. Chloe laid her head on Beca's shoulder.

"Well, we may be a bit dysfunctional," Beca said. "But consider my family, your family. And, I guarantee that once my mom meets you, you'll be invited back every year."

"Thanks, Becs," Chloe said and sniffled.

"You're welcome," Beca said and kissed the top of Chloe's head.

Chloe wiped the tears from her face and pulled her phone out of her pocket.

"Oh, shoot," Chloe said sitting up. "My phone's almost dead."

"Here, give it to me," Beca said.

Beca pulled out her charger and plugged Chloe's phone into the bus's power outlet. She then handed Chloe one of her ear buds so they both could listen to Beca's music. They sat back and smiled.

Beca and Chloe listened to music and chatted as the bus drove down the road. Amy had come back to stand and chat with them once or twice when her seatmate had to use the onboard restroom. It was close to 7:00 pm when the driver said they'd be stopping for dinner. Beca and Chloe both laughed when they heard an "Awww, yeah!" from Fat Amy. The driver parked the bus and then stood facing the passengers.

"Okay, ladies and gentleman," the driver said. "We will be here for ninety minutes. I would recommend buying some snacks before you leave because we won't be stopping for breakfast until around 6:30 or 7:00 tomorrow morning."

With that the driver and another gentleman, whom they decided was another driver, got off the bus. The passengers all made their way off the bus. Beca and Chloe caught up to Amy. It was an all you can eat buffet and Amy paid for all three of them. They found a table and then went to get their food. They all returned to the table.

"Got enough fried food there, Becs?," Chloe asked with a smirk. "Wouldn't kill you to put a vegetable or two on your plate, you know."

"I put ketchup on my fries," Beca said. "Ketchup is made from tomatoes, so, technically, I do have a vegetable on my plate."

Amy wasn't saying anything. She was just digging into her two plates of food.

"Amy," Beca said. "You know you can go back for more, right?"

"It's a waste of time," Amy said. "Didn't you hear the driver? We won't be stopping to eat again for like almost ten hours. Ten hours, Beca. I can't go that long without fueling up."

They finished eating and each purchased snacks as the driver suggested. The passengers were back on the bus and the driver took off. They had been driving for a couple of hours when Beca started yawning.

"I think I'm going to try and get some sleep," Beca said.

"Me, too," Chloe said and looked at Beca with her puppy dog eyes and pout.

"Fine," Beca said and moved so that Chloe could cuddle with her. "The things I put up with for you."

"You love me," Chloe said and Beca just rolled her eyes.

They had been asleep for a couple of hours when Beca woke with a cramp in her arm. She went to move it and realized Chloe was laying on it.

"Chlo," Beca said quietly trying not to disturb the other sleeping passengers. "Chloe. Wake up."

Chloe didn't move so Beca tried to move her arm but when she did it caused Chloe to jerk awake. Beca grabbed her and kept Chloe from falling off the seat.

"Sorry, Chlo," Beca said helping the redhead sit upright. "My arm had a cramp and I couldn't get you to wake up."

"It's okay," Chloe mumbled sleepily. "What time is it?"

"It's almost 1:30 in the morning," Beca said. "I'm kind of hungry."

"I bought some animal crackers," Chloe said. "I'll share with you."

"What are you five?," Beca said with a chuckle.

"They remind me of my mom," Chloe said. "She used to buy them for me whenever I went to the grocery store with her. We'd share them-"

Chloe wiped a tear from her eye.

"Hey," Beca said. "You should talk about them. If you do, it'll get easier each time and you won't always be so sad when you think about them. Plus, if you don't, no one else will know how great they were. I think you'll feel better if you stop bottling up all the memories you have of them."

"It just hurts so much," Chloe said as tears fell down her cheeks.

"I'm here for you," Beca said. "We can talk about them any time you want."

Beca took an animal cracker and put it in her mouth. She pulled out two bottles of water she had bought and handed one to Chloe.

"My mom used to buy me animal crackers whenever I went to the grocery store with her," Chloe said with a small smile. "We'd share them on the way home. It was something we did together, just the two of us."

"I think I would have liked your mom," Beca said smiling at Chloe.

"She would have loved you," Chloe said. "You think I'm bad at yanking your chain, I'm tame compared to how my mom is. Was."

"Tell me about your dad," Beca said before Chloe could start crying again.

Once Chloe started talking about her family, it was as if the flood gates had opened. Beca found herself laughing of some of the memories Chloe was sharing with her. Beca watched as Chloe told her stories. She was mesmerized at how Chloe's eyes lit up and her smile would get bigger. God, she was beautiful. As Beca watched her, all she wanted to do was to grab Chloe and hold her until all the pain of losing her family went away. To tell her it would be okay. To let her know that she had friends who loved her. That she loved her and not just as a friend. Beca's mouth grew dry as she thought about what Chloe would say if Beca told her how she felt. Beca smiled a sad smile and realized that she couldn't risk it. She had only known Chloe for a few months but she knew she wanted to keep the girl in her life. So she ignored the ache in her heart and tried to pay attention as Chloe told her about her family.

At some point, Beca and Chloe fell asleep again. They were cuddled up together and when Amy went to use the bathroom she snapped a picture of them. She smirked as she sent the picture in a Bellas group chat, minus Beca and Chloe, with the caption "Just friends, my ass".

Around 6:45 that morning the bus stopped for breakfast. Everyone was told the bus would be leaving at 8:15 and to make sure they were on it. They would be making a stop in Boston to drop off some passengers and then they would continue on to Portland. If all went well they should be pulling into Portland a little after noon.

Beca was getting excited. She was almost home. The girls sat down and were eating their breakfast. Amy had piled one plate with hot sausages and bacon and another with eggs and hash browns. Beca and Chloe just shook their heads as Amy dug into her food.

They were back on the bus and cruising down the road. The driver announced that they should be pulling into the Boston terminal in about 30 minutes. Amy got up from her seat and as she walked by Beca and Chloe, Beca heard her mumble, "I gotta see a man about a horse." Beca's eyes grew wide and she stood up and turned in her seat.

"Amy, don't you go in there," Beca said. "You can wait. Don't do it."

"Sorry, Beca," Amy said. "Gotta unclog the pipes."

"Oh, God," Beca said as she sat back down.

"What is wrong with you?," Chloe said with a laugh.

"Amy is going to spend the next thirty minutes in there," Beca said pointing to the bathroom. "Trust me, it will not end well."

About five minutes later, Chloe got the first hint of what Beca meant.

"Oh, my God," one of the passengers behind Chloe said.

Several others followed suit and she looked around to see people holding their noses. Some looked like they were trying not to gag. It took about thirty more seconds before it hit her. She nearly gagged and looked over at Beca who had her shirt pulled up, covering her nose and mouth. Some of the passengers chose to stand near the front of the bus for the last 15 minutes of the trip rather than stay near the back of the bus.

The bus finally pulled into the Boston station and everyone was practically falling all over each other to get off the bus. Chloe abandoned the bus along with the other passengers. Beca was the only one brave enough to bang on the bathroom door telling Amy they had stopped.

"I'll be out in a minute," Amy called from the other side of the door.

Beca didn't hear her because she had got off the bus as soon as she could. Amy comes out and sees all the seats empty and casually strolls off the bus, amidst glares.

"What?," Amy asks and shrugs her shoulders.

The driver gets the luggage from the luggage area for those whose destination was Boston. He tells the remaining passengers there will be a delay of 45 minutes while the bathroom is cleared out. The passengers aren't very happy but then knew it was that, or travel another two hours with the bus as is.

Once the crew was done, the driver started letting the passengers back on the bus. Amy went to get on the bus and was stopped.

"I'm sorry, miss," the driver said. "But, I can't let you back on the bus."

"What? Why?," Amy asked.

"You know why," the driver said. "The passengers have all requested that you not be allowed back on, and I'm afraid I agree with them."

Beca and Chloe were already seated and were wondering why Amy hadn't gotten back on. Chloe went to check on her. Chloe pleaded with the driver to no avail. Amy was not being allowed to get on the bus. Chloe went back to Beca and told her what was going on. Beca got all her stuff and told Chloe to leave the bus.

"Beca," Chloe said not moving. "You're like two hours from home. You have to stay on the bus. I'll get off and stay with Amy."

"No," Beca said. "I'm not leaving you two after you've come all this way for me. We'll all get off and figure something out."

Chloe smiled and gave Beca a big hug and then kissed her on the cheek. She turned and told the driver they were getting off. He let them off and the three girls stood there watching as he backed up and drove off.

"Now what I am going to do?," Beca asked no one in particular.

"We'll figure out something, Becs," Chloe said. "We're too close."

"I could call my Uncle Mike," Beca said. "He could drive down and pick us up."

"That's asking a lot Beca," Chloe said. "Let's make that Plan B."

They stood and were looking around. Chloe's face lit up and she smiled.

"Amy, get out your credit card," Chloe said. "We're taking the train."

Beca and Amy looked at Chloe and then looked a what she was looking at. Right across the road was the Amtrak train station. Beca smiled and grabbed Chloe's hand.

"Let's go," Beca said dragging Chloe with her.

Amy followed the two girls to the train station. They checked the departures board and saw a train that leaves for Portland at 1:30 pm. They walked over to the ticket counter and Amy said they needed three tickets on the 1:30 train to Portland. The agent typed on the computer.

"The only seats we have left are in business class," the agent told Amy.

"That's fine," Amy and handed over a credit card.

"I'll pay you back for everything, Amy," Beca said.

"No worries," Amy told her. "Consider this your Christmas present. You too, Red."

Chloe smiled and kissed Amy on the cheek.

"Thank you," Chloe said.

"Yeah, thanks, Amy," Beca said with a smile.

The girls decided to grab some lunch since they had some time before their train left. They went to the waiting area and were finally boarded. They found two sets of seats next to each other. Amy was sitting across the aisle from Beca and Chloe with Beca's stuff in the seat next to her. The train left and Beca was getting excited again. She called her mom to let her know they were on the train and would probably be at the house by 5:00. She ended the call and looked at Chloe and then Amy.

"My mom says she can't wait to meet you two," Beca said with a smile.

"What does your mom look like?," Chloe asked.

"Like me," Beca said. "Except she's a little taller."

"Who isn't?," Amy mumbles.

Beca just glares at her. They sit chatting and Beca fills them in on some of her family they'll meet.

"You'll meet most of my family tonight," Beca told them. "We always have a big Christmas Eve dinner at our house."

Beca tells them more about what her mom's traditions are for the holidays. After a bit Beca gets up to go to the bathroom.

"I feel bad," Chloe said.

"What's wrong, Red?," Amy asked.

"I don't have anything for Beca's family for Christmas," Chloe said. "I was raised to bring a gift whenever you were invited to someone's home."

"Chloe, you're delivering Beca to them," Amy said. "I think that's quite a spectacular gift to bring them."

Chloe just smiled.

"You're one of a kind, Amy," Chloe said. "I wish I hadn't insisted Beca leave the gift I gave her at Barden to open when she got back. I don't have anything for her either."

"Just tell you love her," Amy said. "That's the best gift you can give her."

"Amy," Chloe said. "Don't. Please. I know everyone knows I have feelings for her, but I don't want to lose her as a friend. I can't tell her or I could lose her forever."

"But, you do love her, right?," Amy asked with a smile.

"Yeah, I do," Chloe said.

Amy just smiled and looked up. Chloe looked over her shoulder to see Beca standing there.

"Then you should tell me," Beca said staring into Chloe's eyes.

"I need to be some place else," Amy said getting up and leaving.

"You really love me?," Beca asked sitting next to Chloe.

"Yes," was all Chloe said with a tear falling from her eye.

"I love you, too," Beca said taking Chloe's hands. "I didn't want to lose you either so I never said anything."

"So, what happens now?," Chloe asked.

"Well, first," Beca said moving her head so her lips were just inches from Chloe's. "I'm going to kiss you. Hard. And then I'm gong to ask you to be my girlfriend."

"I can live with that," Chloe said and closed the distance to grab Beca's lips in a kiss.

They finally pull back and Chloe lays her forehead against Beca's.

"Wow," Chloe says.

"So," Beca says. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Chloe said and kissed Beca again.

Unbeknownst to Beca or Chloe, Amy took a picture of them kissing and sent it to the Bellas in the group chat. No caption was needed.

Amy came back to her seat and the girls told her of their new relationship status. She congratulated them and gave Beca a high five. The train pulls into Portland and they make their way to the street. Chloe calls for an Uber and they are dropped off around 5:00 in front of Beca's mom's house.

"Looks like everyone is already here for Christmas Eve dinner," Beca said noticing all the cars.

Beca takes Chloe's hand and they walk to the door. Amy knocks and the door is answered by Beca's mom, Sarah.

"Beca!," Sarah squeals and grabs her daughter in a hug.

"Can't breathe, mom," Beca says before her mother lets her go. "Thanks."

"Come in, come in," Sarah says ushering the three girls inside.

"Mom, I'd like you to meet my good friend Amy," Beca said. "Whose generous gift helped fund our travels so we could all be here."

Sarah hugs Amy and thanks her for helping make sure Beca got home for Christmas. Sarah lets Amy go and turns to Chloe.

"This is the person whose tenacity and determination also helped get us here," Beca said. "This. This is Chloe. My girlfriend."

Sarah's eyes went wide and she let out another squeal as she grabbed Chloe in a hug.

"It's about damn time, Beca," Sarah side with a big smile. "She's talked nonstop about you since you met."

"Mom," Beca said and Chloe laughed.

"Come on," Sarah said. "It's almost time to eat."

Amy immediately followed Sarah. Beca held Chloe back and pulled her to her. She smiled and looked up. Chloe looked up as well and smiled. She grabbed Beca's lips in a kiss and Beca grabbed Chloe behind the neck and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss.

"Come on, you two," Sarah said smiling when she saw them kissing. "Get out from under the mistletoe and come have some dinner."

* * *

 **RJRMovieFan prompt: Because of Fat Amy, Beca is stuck in Georgia, though she promised her mother she would be home for Christmas in Portland Maine. Beca missed her flight and because of huge winter storms, there's no more flights. Chloe takes it upon herself to get Beca home by Christmas. I figure you could do a plane, trains, and automobiles type situations. One twist, in almost every story, Chloe has a large loving family. In this it turns out she doesn't have a family. Beca didn't know it, but Chloe lost her family years ago; which is one of the reasons she's determined to get Beca home on time. The other being she's madly in love with the grumpy DJ, of course. Beca of course learns Chloe's secret along the way.**


	21. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

**This is one of my own ideas. Beca and Chloe's 4-year-old daughter catches Chloe kissing Santa on Christmas Eve.**

* * *

Chloe Mitchell was so excited. She loved Christmas, always has, always will. And, now that Sophie was 4 and Charlie was 2, Christmas was even more magical. Their two girls even made her grumpy wife, Beca, a little less grumpy at Christmas.

It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving and Chloe was home getting the house decorated for Christmas, with the help of Aubrey and Stacie. Beca had the girls out shopping for a surprise, meaning Chloe's Christmas present.

"Where do you want these, Chlo?," Aubrey asked.

"Over on the table by the front door," Chloe replied. "That should do it. Everything looks great."

"You've really outdone yourself this year, Chlo," Stacie says.

"The only thing left is to get the tree," Chloe said. "And we'll get that tomorrow. Right now, I'm beat. I'll just have to get the ornaments for the tree out of the attic in the morning."

"Hey, Chloe," Aubrey called out to her. "What about the stockings?"

"Oh, shoot," Chloe said. "I almost forgot about them."

Chloe looked in the box and found their stockings and the stocking holders she had bought for them. She hung them and looked around again with a big smile on her face.

"The girls are going to love this," Chloe said. "I can't wait until Christmas."

"You promised to feed us, Chloe," Stacie said. "I'm starving."

"I will," Chloe said with a laugh. "I'm going to call Beca and see when they'll be home."

Stacie and Aubrey sit on the sofa, cuddled next to each other. Chloe pulls out her phone and dials Beca's number.

 _"Hey, babe,"_ Beca answers.

"Hey," Chloe says. "Will you and the girls be home soon?"

 _"We're actually just getting in the car,"_ Beca said.

"Can you stop and pick up dinner on your way?," Chloe asked. "Aubrey and Stacie are here and I promised to feed them for helping me decorate."

 _"Sure,"_ Beca said. _"Call in an order to Woo Fong's and I'll pick it up."_

"Thank you, baby," Chloe said. "I'll call it in now so you won't have to wait. Love you."

 _"Love you, too"_ , Beca says and ends the call.

"Okay, girls," Beca said. "We're have to pick up Chinese for dinner tonight. And, you get to see Aunt Brey and Aunt Stacie."

"Yay," Sophie says and claps her hands.

"Yay," Charlie says mimicking her big sister.

"I'm ordering from _Woo Fong's_ and Beca's picking it up," Chloe told Aubrey and Stacie. "You guys want the usual?"

"Yes, please," Stacie said.

"Sounds good to me," Aubrey said.

Chloe placed the order and leaned back in her chair. She jumped and went to get a note pad and pen. She sat back down and started writing.

"I need to start planning our Christmas Eve party," Chloe said. "I already booked the caterer we used last year because everybody liked them. I need to call the party rental place for tables and chairs. Brey, are you available the weekend before Christmas for our cookie bake-a-thon."

"Definitely," Aubrey said.

"I'll talk to Beca and we'll plan an outing for the girls," Stacie said. "That will allow you two to bake without worrying about them being underfoot."

"I love the cookie bake-a-thon," Aubrey said. "It's one of the few things we do together, just the two of us."

"I know," Chloe said with a big smile. "I love that, too. I need to check to and see if I can still find everything we'll need. I think we may need some knew cookie cutters, and I definitely need some new cookie sheets."

"Are we making the same cookies as last year?," Aubrey said. "I found this really great recipe for a twix cookie bar I thought we could try."

"That sounds good," Chloe said. "We'll make the usual like gingerbread, sugar cookies, those rum balls everyone likes. And, the twix one. I saw a few that looked like they might be fun to make."

Aubrey and Chloe discussed different cookies they would make. Chloe showed Aubrey some of the recipes she had found and they made their list and Chloe printed out the recipes. They planned a shopping day to get all the ingredients.

Chloe's phone pinged with a text letting her know that Beca was pulling into the driveway. The three girls got up and went out to meet Beca.

"I'll get Sophie," Stacie said.

"I got Charlie," Aubrey said.

"Lucky me," Chloe said. "I get Beca."

Stacie and Aubrey were getting the girls out of the car and Chloe went around to the driver's door. Beca was just getting out. Chloe pulled her into a kiss.

"Mmm," Beca said. "Miss me?"

"Nope," Chloe said. "I just needed that."

"Love you, too, babe," Beca said giving Chloe a quick kiss.

Beca got the food and grabbed Chloe's hand. They followed Stacie and Aubrey into the house.

"I think Charlie needs to be changed," Aubrey said. "I'll take care of her."

"Thanks, Aubrey," Beca said and took the food into the kitchen.

"Wow," Sophie said looking around the house. "It looks pretty in here."

"Thanks," Chloe said. "Did you girls have fun shopping with mama today?"

"No," Sophie said. "Me and Charlie wanted to see Santa but mama said no."

"That's okay," Stacie said hugging the girl. "I'll go see Santa with you."

"You will?," Sophie asked.

"Sure, I will," Stacie said.

Sophie smiled big and hugged Stacie.

"Can mommy go?," Sophie asked. "She loves seeing Santa Claus."

"I think that will be okay," Stacie said with a smile.

"Yay," Chloe squealed and clapped her hands.

Chloe got up and sat next to Stacie. She peppered Sophie's face with kisses.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Chloe said between kisses.

"I'm off on Wednesday," Stacie said. "Can we go then?"

"What about Brey?," Chloe said. "You know she'll want go to."

"She's off, too," Stacie said. "We have something to do in the morning. Why don't we meet you for lunch and then go see Santa."

"Sounds good," Chloe said pulling Sophie onto her lap. "What do you think, Sophie? Lunch with Aunt Brey and Aunt Stacie and then we go see Santa."

"Okay," Sophie said and hugged Chloe.

"She is certainly her mommy's girl," Stacie says with a smile. "And Charlie is most definitely a mama's girl."

"I know," Chloe said. "I mean we both love the girls the same, but Sophie is closer to me and Charlie is closer to Beca."

"Well, Sophie is your doppleganger," Stacie said. "And Charlie is Beca's. Looks wise at least. They both have a mix of you and Beca, personality wise. And this one here has the Mitchell eye roll and smirk down pretty good."

"Yeah," Chloe laughed. "And I swear Charlie knows how to use the puppy dog eyes and pout on her mama, like a true Beale."

"What are you guys laughing at?," Aubrey asks as she brings Charlie into the living room.

"Just talking about how these two are so much like their mothers," Stacie said.

"Are you girls planning to eat tonight or what?," Beca calls from the dining room.

The next morning the girls were really excited about looking for the tree. Even Beca was in a good mood. The family of four got in the car and drove to the tree lot and got out. Beca carried Charlie while following Chloe and Sophie around. The two redheads looked over each tree carefully and discussed whether it was the right tree. Beca took out her phone and took several pictures of the two of them studying the trees.

"This is it," Sophie said. "This is the one."

"I agree," Chloe said with a big smile. "It's perfect."

"I like it," Beca said and Charlie clapped her hands and squealed. "You girls guard the tree and I'll find someone to come take it to the car."

Beca goes in search of one of the workers and they get the tree loaded onto the car. They take the tree home and Beca manages to wrestle it into the stand. She and Chloe turn it so that the best side is facing out toward the living room.

"We have to let the branches settle before we decorate it," Chloe said. "Why don't we go to the diner for lunch? Then when we get back you girls can take a nap and we'll decorate the tree when you girls wake up."

"Yay," Charlie says.

"Can I have pancakes?," Sophie asks.

"You can have anything you want," Chloe tells her.

They get ready and head off to the diner. Sophie and Charlie both get pancakes. Once home Chloe puts Sophie down for her nap. Beca is singing to Charlie to get her to sleep and Chloe stands in the doorway watching. She smiles as she sees Charlie nod off. Beca gently lays Charlie in her bed and walks over to Chloe. Chloe puts her arms around Beca's shoulders and pulls her into a kiss.

"Want to go lay down with me for a while?," Chloe asked resting her arms on Beca's shoulders.

"I'm not really sleepy," Beca said.

"Who said anything about sleeping?," Chloe said

Beca just smiled and let Chloe take her by the hand and lead her to their bedroom. After the girls woke from their nap, the family helped decorate the tree. Beca held Charlie and helped her put the ornaments on. Chloe helped Sophie. When all the decorations were on the tree, Chloe put the step ladder as close as she could and Beca handed her Sophie. Sophie held the angel for the top of the tree. Chloe held Sophie by her waist and lifted her so she could reach and Sophie gently placed the angel. Chloe pulled her back and gave her a big hug before passing her back to Beca. Chloe climbed off the ladder and they all stood back while Beca turned on the lights. Charlie's eyes opened wide and Sophie squealed with excitement.

The weekend before Christmas found Beca and Stacie getting Sophie and Charlie ready to go to the park. Beca was frantically searching for Charlie's jacket and wasn't having any luck.

"Stacie," Beca said. "Could you go ask Chloe where Charlie's jacket is?"

"Why can't you ask her?, " Stacie asked.

"Those two are demons when they start their cookie bake-a-thon," Beca said. "Please, Stacie? The last time I went in to ask Chloe something while she was making cookies she threw a rolling pin at me."

"Fine," Stacie said with a laugh. "But if either of them throws something at me, I swear I'll break your headphones."

"Harsh," Beca mumbles.

Stacie pushes open the kitchen door and peeks her head in and sees Chloe and Aubrey both staring at her.

"Sorry to bother you," Stacie says looking at Chloe. "But, Beca can't find Charlie's jacket. We were hoping you would know where it is."

"It's still in the car," Chloe said. "Also, before you leave I need to talk to Beca. Would you ask her to come see me before you guys go?"

"Sure thing," Stacie says and leaves the kitchen.

Stacie finds Beca and tells her where Charlie's jacket is. She then volunteers to put the girls in the car since Chloe said she needed to speak to Beca before they left. Beca's face paled.

"Did she say why?," Beca asked.

"Nope," Stacie said smiling.

"Okay," Beca said handing Charlie to Stacie. "If I'm not out there in 10 minutes, send help."

Stacie just laughed and took Sophie's hand and headed for the car. Beca went to the kitchen and walked in to find Aubrey and Chloe laughing about something.

"Um, Chlo?," Beca said hesitantly. "Stacie said you needed to see me."

"Hey," Chloe said and came over to Beca. "I just wanted to ask if you could pick up a few things we need before you came back from the park."

"Oh, um, sure," Beca said. "What do you need?"

"I'll send you a text with the list," Chloe said. "It'll be easier."

"Okay," Beca said. "I'll see you later."

Chloe kissed Beca and Beca kissed her back.

"I love you," Chloe said.

"I love you, too," Beca said. "And, don't get mad but why are being so nice to me? You know I already got your present."

"Don't be such a smartass," Chloe said causing Beca and Aubrey to laugh.

"I better go," Beca said with a smile. "Stacie's alone in the car with the girls. There's no telling what she's promising we'll do."

"Have fun," Chloe says and smacks Beca's butt as she leaves.

Christmas Eve finally arrives and the party is in full swing. All the Bellas are there with their families. There are games for the kids, plenty of food, and a tin full of cookies for each of their guests to take home. The party ends around 7:00 so everyone can get home and get ready for Santa to visit. Beca puts the girls to bed and tells them when they wake up Santa will have been there. The girls are excited but finally fall asleep.

"Go put on the costume," Chloe tells Beca.

"Do I have to?," Beca whines. "This is ridiculous."

"Come on, Becs," Chloe said. "You promised. You dress up like Santa Claus and I sneak the girls down to see you putting the presents under the tree. They'll be so excited."

"Okay, okay," Beca said. "I'm only doing this because I love those girls and they will be really excited if they see Santa putting their presents under the tree."

"Thank you," Chloe said and gave Beca a quick kiss. "You're the best mom ever."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Beca mumbles as she goes to put on her Santa costume.

Beca comes back about fifteen minutes later. Chloe sees her and squeals.

"Oh, my gosh," Chloe said. "You look so good. Okay, here's the bag of presents. I'm going to go get the girls."

"I'll wait until I hear you coming before I do anything," Beca said.

Chloe rushes upstairs and wakes the girls, telling them Santa was downstairs. They are really excited. Chloe carries Charlie and takes Sophie's hand. She tells them to be quiet and sneaks down the stairs. Sophie gasps when she sees Santa putting presents under the tree.

"Mommy, look!," Sophie says pointing.

"I see," Chloe says. "Don't forget. We have to be quiet."

Charlie claps her hands and Sophie shushes her. They watch as Santa takes presents out of a bag and puts them under the tree. Beca finishes and walks over to the milk and cookies the girls left for Santa. She picks up a cookie and takes a bite. She then looks over at Sophie, gives her a wink and places a white gloved finger to her lips. Sophie's mouth opens and her eyes grow wide.

"Oh, no, Sophie," Chloe whispers. "Santa saw us. We'd better get back to bed."

Sophie turns and rushes up the stairs. Chloe looks at Beca and gives her wink. Chloe puts Charlie back to bed and she's back to sleep in minutes. Chloe checks on Sophie and sees she is almost asleep. She sits with her until she drifts off. Chloe goes back downstairs to find Beca finishing off the cookies and drinking the milk.

"That was some show, Santa," Chloe said causing Beca to laugh.

"I have to admit," Beca said wrapping her arms around Chloe's waist. "I thought it was kind of a lame idea, until I looked up and saw their faces. Totally worth it."

"I told you so," Chloe said putting her arms around Beca's shoulders. "Now, what does Santa have for me?"

Beca smiles and leans in to kiss Chloe. Chloe pulls her closer and deepens the kiss. Sophie had snuck out of bed to see if Santa was still there. She made her way down the stairs quietly and her eyes grew wide seeing her mommy kissing Santa Claus. She ran down the stairs and Beca was surprised when she felt something hit her legs.

"Stop kissing my mommy," Sophie yelled and was hitting Beca with her little fists as hard as she could.

Beca and Chloe separated and Chloe tried to calm Sophie down.

"Sophie," Chloe said. "It's okay. Stop hitting ma- Santa."

Sophie stopped and Beca just stood there stunned. Chloe tried to pick Sophie up but she squirmed out of her arms.

"No!," Sophie said. "I want mama. You s'posed to only kiss mama. Santa is bad. I want mama."

Sophie pulls away and starts running up the steps with Chloe right behind her.

"Soph," Chloe said. "Stop. You're going to hurt yourself."

"No mommy," Sophie said. "I want mama. Mama! Mama!"

Sophie was crying and so was Chloe. Beca was still somewhat stunned and finally came to her senses when she heard Sophie tell Chloe no. She hurried into the other room and took off the Santa costume. She rushed up the stairs to find Sophie standing by her bed shaking her head at Chloe, with tears streaming down both their faces.

"Sophie," Chloe was saying. "Please?"

She was trying very hard to find words that a four-year-old would understand to make things better. Beca came in the room and Sophie threw herself at her. Beca picked her up and held her trying to calm her down. She reached for Chloe to pull her into a hug and Sophie shoved Chloe away. This caused more tears and a sob to escape from Chloe's lips.

"Sophie, that was not nice," Beca said. "Tell your mommy your sorry."

"No," Sophie said while sniffling.

"Sophie Ann Mitchell," Beca said. "We do not treat mommy like that. Now you tell her your sorry."

"She, she," Sophie stuttered and sniffled. "Mommy k-k-kiss Santa. S-s-she s'posed to only kiss you. Not S-s-santa."

This caused a whole new rush of fresh tears on Sophie's part. She put her hands to her face and buried her head in Beca's neck. Beca looked at Chloe with a pained expression. Chloe looked heartbroken. She knew that Sophie's tears were hard on Chloe, especially since Sophie wouldn't let Chloe comfort her. Beca thought for a moment and came up with an idea.

"Sophie," Beca said. "I'm about to tell you a really big secret. A secret that you can't tell anyone. Okay?"

Sophie sniffled and raised her head to look at Beca. She sniffled again and nodded her head.

"O-okay," Sophie said.

Beca carried Sophie over to the rocking chair and sat down putting Sophie on her lap.

"This secret is so big," Beca tells Sophie. "That only me and mommy know it. But, I don't want you to be mad at mommy so that's why I'm telling it to you. Do you promise with all your heart that you won't tell anyone the secret?"

"I pr-promise," Sophie said sniffling again.

"It's okay for mommy to kiss Santa," Beca said and lowered her voice. "Because, I'm Santa."

Sophie's eyes widened and she let out a small gasp.

"Really?," Sophie asked softly.

"Really," Beca said and winked at her causing Sophie to smile.

Beca wiped Sophie's tears and looked over at Chloe with a small shrug. Chloe was smiling and wiping her own tears.

"And, mommy knows?," Sophie asked.

"Yes, mommy knows," Beca said. "Now, go tell mommy you're sorry."

"Okay," Sophie says and climbs down off Beca's lap.

Sophie runs over to Chloe who stoops down to grab her up.

"I'm sorry, mommy," Sophie said hugging Chloe's neck.

"I'm sorry, too, Soph," Chloe said.

Sophie kissed Chloe's cheek. Chloe peppered Sophie's cheeks with kisses causing the girl to squeal and laugh. Chloe had been holding and hugging Sophie for a minute or two when Sophie yawned.

"Somebody needs to go back to bed," Beca said standing up and going over to Chloe.

"Okay," Sophie says with a smile.

Beca gives Sophie a kiss on the cheek. Chloe lays her in her bed and pulls the covers up and tucks her in.

"I love you, mommy," Sophie tells Chloe.

"I love you, too, Soph," Chloe says and leans down to kiss her forehead. "Sleep tight, baby."

Chloe stands by the bed and watches Sophie until she falls asleep. Beca come up behind her and puts her arms around Chloe's waist. Chloe leans back into her and Beca kisses her cheek.

"Are you okay?," Beca whispers.

Chloe just nods her head and wipes away a tear.

"Let's go to bed," Beca says and leads Chloe to their room.

The two mothers get ready for a bed and Beca spoons Chloe. Chloe lays in Beca's arms and lets out a sigh.

"I"ve never felt so helpless in my life," Chloe whispers. "I think Sophie actually hated me for a bit."

"No, she didn't," Beca said. "She just didn't know how to process what she saw. She doesn't know what hate is. All she's ever seen around her is love. My love for you. Your love for me. Our love for her and Charlie. And, she knew that you kissing someone other than me was wrong. I gotta give her kudos for that one. And, now I know that if you ever kiss anyone that isn't me, Sophie will tell on you in a heartbeat."

"I can hear you smirking," Chloe says with a laugh. "I can't believe you told her you were Santa."

"She'll forget all about it tomorrw when she's opening presents," Beca said.

"You're probably right," Chloe said turning in Beca's arms. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Beca said and kissed Chloe.

The next morning things seemed to be back to normal. Beca snuck out of bed early to make breakfast. Aubrey and Stacie came over to watch Sophie and Charlie open their presents. Chloe was feeling much better and her megawatt smile was back. The girls were still opening presents and when Sophie opened her last gift from Santa she turned to Beca.

"Thanks, mama," Sophie said with a giggle.

"I thought that was from Santa," Stacie said.

"It is," Sophie told her. "Mama's Santa."

Beca and Chloe looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Sophie," Beca said. "What did we tell you last night?"

"Oh, I forgot," Sophie said and turns to Stacie. "Mama said I'm not s'posed to tell you she's Santa."

Beca facepalms herself. Chloe lets out a laugh. Stacie and Aubrey just look at Beca and Chloe.

"Care to explain why your four-year-old says you're Santa?," Aubrey asked asked Beca.

"A'cause I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus last night," Sophie said. "And mama said it was okay a'cause mommy was kissing her in her Santa clothes. And that's okay."

"You mama is Santa?," Stacie asks and Sophie nods. Stacie turns to Beca. "So, **Santa,** please tell me why I didn't get the pony I asked for when I was five."

"You didn't give Aunt Stacie her pony?," Sophie asks Beca.

Chloe and Aubrey laugh at the look on Beca's face.

"Well, Santa?," Stacie asked with a smirk.

All eyes were on Beca waiting for her to tell Stacie why Santa didn't give her a pony.

"I so hate all of you right now."


	22. Merry Kissmas

**Another prompt of my own: What happens when you get the kiss you've been wanting only to find out you were kissed because you were under the mistletoe?**

* * *

Beca Mitchell was sitting in the corner of the auditorium while the Bellas annual Christmas party went on around her. She hated having to be here but it was mandatory according to Bellas Captain Aubrey Posen. She was sipping at her fruit punch when she felt a presence next to her and looked up to see the Bellas Co-Captain Chloe Beale.

"Beca!," the redhead exclaimed and pulled Beca into a hug. "Why are you sitting here all by yourself?"

"Parties still aren't my thing," Beca said.

Chloe smiled and suddenly leaned in and kissed Beca on the lips. Beca was taken by surprise. Chloe is always hugging her, or touching her arm, but this is the first time she's ever kissed her. It only lasted a few seconds, and all Beca's brain could think about was how smooth Chloe's lips felt and that she could taste the alcohol that Chloe had been drinking. Beca was about to deepen it when Chloe pulled back with a smile.

"Um, Chloe," Beca asked with a small smile. "What was that?"

"You're sitting under the mistletoe, silly," Chloe said pointing up over Beca's head where she was holding a sprig of mistletoe.

"Oh," Beca said her face dropping with disappointment.

"Come join the party," Chloe said grabbing Beca by the hand.

Beca let Chloe drag her over to the other girls. She just found another chair to sit in and watched the girls dancing and laughing. She saw Chloe kiss CR on the cheek and point over her head to the mistletoe she was holding. CR laughed and kissed Chloe on the cheek as well. Chloe took the mistletoe and went around the room and kissed all the Bellas. It was usually a quick cheek kiss and her pointing to the mistletoe she held over their head.

"I guess the kiss I got really didn't mean anything to Chloe," Beca thought. "I just wish it hadn't meant so much to me."

"Dance with me, Becs," Chloe said standing in front of the younger girl.

"Pizza's here," Aubrey called out.

"Oh, darn. Sorry, Chloe," Beca said not looking sorry at all. "Pizza's here."

Aubrey and Amy carried the pizzas down and set them on the table. All the girls grabbed slices and sat down, some on the floor, and some in chairs. Chloe sat next to Beca.

"Alright girls," Aubrey said. "After we finish our pizza we can open gifts."

"Yay," everyone yelled and Beca smiled at everyone's enthusiasm. She remembered back to when the group first came together. One of the first things Chloe talked about was the annual Bellas Christmas Party. She said they would always have it in the Auditorium so they had plenty of space for dancing, would order pizzas, have drinks of an alcoholic nature, and exchange gifts. Beca worried about the gift exchange. The only gifts she ever really gave at Christmas was to her grandmother. She just didn't have any friends to exchange them with, so she had no clue what to do for the girls.

"Okay, girls," Chloe says standing to get their attention. "It is time for presents."

Chloe throws her arms up in the air and let's out an ear piercing "Woo Hoo!" The other girls laugh and "woo hoo" as well. Aubrey and Chloe walk over to the tree and start distributing packages. Beca was surprised when she was handed not one, but several wrapped packages. She had expected one from Chloe for sure, and maybe Amy and CR since she they had become close. But, it looked like everyone got her something. She was glad she gave everyone a little something as well.

"Okay," Chloe said. "That's everything. Now, we go around and each take a turn opening a gift until we've opened them all. As Captain, Aubrey will start and we'll go around to her left, ending with me."

Aubrey opened her first gift and then each girl took their turn. Beca was surprised and smiled when she opened a Taco Bell gift card from Ashley. It was perfect. Chloe's turn came next and she looked through her pile of gifts until she found what she was looking for.

"This is from Beca," Chloe said holding the small package.

Chloe tore the paper off to reveal a thumb drive with a piece of paper wrapped around it. Chloe opened the paper and found a list of songs.

"You gave me some of your mixes?," Chloe asked with a big smile. "You never let anyone hear them."

"It's Christmas," Beca said with a shrug.

"Looks like Beca gave us all a thumb drive," Amy said holding an identical package. "Play it, Red. Let's see what she gave us."

Chloe pulled up her laptop and inserted the thumb drive. She clicked on the first song and a mix of "Titanium" and "Bulletproof" came through the speakers.

"Wow, Becs," Chloe said. "This is awesome."

"It's so you, Chloe," CR said with a laugh. "It sounds really good, Beca."

"I guess we won't need to open Beca's present now," Amy said. "Since we all know what it is."

"They're not all the same," Beca said quietly.

"What was that, Beca?," Jessica asked having heard Beca say something since she was sitting right next to her.

"I said," Beca said a little louder. "They're not all the same. I made you each one with music that you like."

Nine pairs of eyes look at her not blinking.

"You made us all our own individual mixes?," Aubrey asked.

"Yeah," Beca said looking a little frightened. "Why? Is that okay?"

"Is that okay?," CR said. "Damn, girl, that's awesome. I want to see what's on mine."

CR looks through her gifts and rips the package open. She looks at her list of songs and lets out a low whistle.

"This is. Wow." CR said. "You've got some really cool old school stuff on here. Ella Fitzgerald. Duke Ellington. I'm amazed. Thank you!"

"I remember you saying that you liked jazz," Beca said. "Only you liked the older stuff better."

The rest of the girls dig through there stuff and open Beca's gift to see what songs she picked for them. Chloe stands there smiling at Beca. Beca sits there with her cheeks red and accepts all the thank yous that are thrown at her.

"Okay, girls," Chloe says getting everyone's attention. "Let's move on. Aubrey, I believe it was your turn."

Beca looked at Chloe and mouthed a thank you. Chloe kneeled next to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek causing Beca to smile. That is until she saw Chloe holding mistletoe over her head.

"It's tradition," Chloe sing-songed as she stood up.

Chloe looked at Beca and noticed her frowning. She was just smiling a second ago. Chloe wondered what caused her to frown. She tried to get Beca's attention but Beca wouldn't look at her. Chloe made a mental note to ask her about it later.

The girls finish opening presents and Chloe puts the mix Beca made for her on. Everyone was dancing and drinking. Beca sat in her seat on the side and watched. She saw Stacie take Chloe's mistletoe and go over to Aubrey. She tapped Aubrey on the shoulder and pointed at the mistletoe she was holding over Aubrey's head. Aubrey laughed and Stacie leaned in and kissed her. The kiss turned into a mini make-out session as the rest of the Bellas whooped and hollered. Stacie finally pulled back from the kiss.

"Damn, I love mistletoe," Stacie said causing Aubrey to blush and the other girls to laugh.

"I wonder if Stacie meant anything by that kiss," Beca thought to herself. "That would definitely be an interesting pairing."

"Hey," Chloe said sitting down next to Beca. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Beca said. "I think I'm just going to head back to my dorm. It's been a long day and I'm really tired."

"I'll walk you back," Chloe said getting up.

"No," Beca said quickly. "I mean, no thanks. Stay and enjoy the party."

"Okay," Chloe said. "Text me to let me know you made it, okay?"

"Sure," Beca said and started to leave.

Chloe grabbed her arm and tried to pull her into a hug. Beca pulled back avoiding the hug by grabbing her bag of gifts. She said good night and turned and left. Chloe's smile faded as soon as Beca pulled away from her. She watched until Beca was out of sight, just standing there. She sighed and went back to join the other girls. She danced and sang along to the music but her smile was forced.

"Are you okay?," Aubrey asked as they both were getting something to drink.

"Yeah," Chloe said not sounding okay.

"Want to try that again?," Aubrey said. "You don't sound okay. And you're not acting very okay. What's going on?"

"I think Beca's mad at me," Chloe said. "And, I don't know why."

"Did anything happen?," Aubrey said.

"No," Chloe said. "At least I don't think so. She did kind of frown after I kissed her on the cheek after everyone opened her gift to them. I was going to ask her about it, but she left."

"That's it?," Aubrey asked. "Doesn't sound like a reason to be mad at you. I figured she'd love it."

"What do you mean?," Chloe asked.

"Maybe I'm just drunk enough to say this to you," Aubrey said. "Beca has a toner for you. Probably as big as the one you have for her."

"Shut up," Chloe said smacking Aubrey's arm.

"It's true," Aubrey said with a laugh. "Everyone sees it. I'm pretty sure the girls have bets on it."

"What?," Chloe said. "What kind of bets?"

"Something like, who admits it first, and when," Aubrey said.

"I'm sure you're all wrong," Chloe said. "She avoided my usual goodbye hug before she left."

Chloe looked sad and Aubrey hugged her friend.

"Maybe you should go talk to her," Aubrey said. "This is making you sad and a sad Chloe is a not much fun Chloe."

"I'll talk to her tomorrow," Chloe said. "It's late and I'm a little drunk right now."

"Okay, then," Aubrey said. "It's time to dance!"

She dragged Chloe onto the makeshift dance floor and all the girls joined in. The party finally ended about 1:00 am.

Beca left the auditorium feeling confused. She liked Chloe a lot. She had really liked it when Chloe kissed her. She thought it meant something. But, it turns out it was only because she was under some mistletoe. Then she thinks back to the other time Chloe kissed her. Like everyone else it was just on the cheek under the mistletoe. But, the first time Chloe kissed her it was on the lips. But, only because she was under the mistletoe. But, Chloe hadn't kissed anyone else on the lips. So it had to mean something, right?

By the time Beca reached her dorm she had given herself a headache. She put her bag of gifts down by the bed and dropped face first onto the mattress. She was asleep in minutes.

Beca woke up around 9:00 the next morning. She was still in the clothes she wore to the party. She decided to walk down to the coffee cart close to the dorm and grab a cup of coffee before she showered and changed. She left and made the walk to get her coffee. About 20 minutes later, coffee in hand, she entered her building and decided to take the stairs up to her room.

Chloe was up early. Thinking about Beca kept her awake most of the night. She showered and got dressed and decided to see if Beca wanted to get coffee and talk. She made her way to Beca's dorm. She knocked on Beca's door and got no answer. She listened at the door but heard nothing to indicate anyone was in the room. She went to the elevator and had just gotten in when she saw Beca exit the stairwell. She put her hand out to keep the door open and was going to call out to Beca but frowned when she realized Beca was still in the same clothes as last night. She let the door close.

"Oh, my God," Chloe thought. "Beca's just getting home? She must have hooked up with someone. That must be why she left the party early."

Tears came to Chloe's eyes and her heart was broken. She hurried out of the elevator and ran all the way back to her apartment. She hurried inside and slid down the door onto the floor as she let the tears fall.

"Hey, Chlo," Aubrey says as she comes out of her room. "Did you talk to Beca?"

Aubrey stops when she sees Chloe sitting on the floor by the door with tears pouring down her face.

"I'll kill that alt-girl," Aubrey mutters as she hurries over to Chloe.

Aubrey gathers Chloe in her arms

"What did she say?," Aubrey asks.

"I, I didn't t-talk to her," Chloe said through her tears.

"Why not?," Aubrey asked. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"I got to her dorm room and she didn't answer," Chloe said quietly. "I was on the elevator when I saw her come out of the stairwell. I was going to call out to her but I noticed she was carrying a cup of coffee and wearing the same clothes she had on last night. She looked like she just woke up."

"She was doing the walk of shame?," Aubrey asked

"That's what it looked like," Chloe said. "I guess she isn't as into me as you thought. She's seeing someone else."

Aubrey didn't know what to say to Chloe. She sat there with her for a few minutes before Chloe started to get up. Aubrey got up with her.

"I'm going back to bed for a while," Chloe said. "I didn't get much sleep last night and I've got a headache."

"Okay," Aubrey said. "We don't have any ice cream so I'm going to go stock up. I'll see you later. Just call me if you need anything before I get back."

"Thanks, Brey," Chloe said giving her a hug. "You're the best."

Aubrey watched as Chloe walked away looking sad and dejected.

"Alright, Beca 'I'm too cool for a capella' Mitchell," Aubrey mumbles as she walks out of the apartment. "You're about to meet Aubrey 'I take no prisoners' Posen."

Aubrey stomps across campus to Beca's dorm. Aubrey Posen was in no mood to deal with anyone, and people were falling over themselves to get out of her way. She gets to the building and goes in. She's tapping her foot impatiently as the elevator slowly makes its way up to the third floor. She storms down to Beca's room and bangs on the door.

"Beca Mitchell open this fucking door," Aubrey yells causing those in the hall to look her way.

Aubrey glares back at them and they all rush in different directions to get away from her.

"Aubrey," Beca said standing in the doorway. "What can I do for you?"

Aubrey doesn't say anything and pushes her way into Beca's room.

"Oh, please, do come in," Beca says sarcastically.

"Lose the sarcasm," Aubrey says. "I'm not in the mood."

Beca sits on her bed and just looks as Aubrey paces back and forth in front of her. Beca realizes that Aubrey is pissed, and apparently she's pissed at her.

"What do you want, Posen?," Beca asks.

"What kind of game are you playing with Chloe?," Aubrey asks as she stops in front of Beca.

"Chloe?," Beca asked standing up. "Game? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Who did you hook up with last night?," Aubrey asked. "After you left Chloe at the party."

"What?," Beca asked confused. "Not that it's any of your business, but I didn't hook up with anyone last night. I left the party and came straight here."

"So why did Chloe see you doing the walk of shame this morning?," Aubrey asked.

"I don't know what Chloe thought she saw," Beca said. "But, once I got here last night, the only time I left was to shower this morning."

"Chloe said she saw you coming in when she came here earlier to talk to you," Aubrey said. "She said you were wearing the same clothes you wore to the party and looked like you just woke up."

"Chloe came here?," Beca said. "To talk to me? Why?"

"Answer my question first," Aubrey said.

"I'm not even sure what the question was," Beca said. "But, I fell asleep in the my clothes last night. I woke up and decided to go down to the coffee cart to get coffee. I didn't bother to change because I was coming back to shower and change after I had my coffee."

"So, you didn't hook up with anyone last night?," Aubrey said.

"No, I didn't," Beca said. "I've answered your questions, now answer mine. Why did Chloe need to talk to me?"

"She thinks you're mad at her," Aubrey says.

"Oh," Beca said.

"Oh?," Aubrey says. "So, you are mad at her."

"No, yes, I don't know," Beca said. "Maybe. She's got me all confused."

"Confused about what?," Aubrey asked.

"I can't tell you," Beca said fidgeting with her hands. "You'll think it's stupid."

"I won't think it's stupid," Aubrey said. "You can tell me."

"I like Chloe," Beca practically whispered. "And, I thought she might like me, too, because she kissed me. But then I realized she only kissed me because I was under the mistletoe. And then went around kissing everyone else. And it hurt because I really like her. I told you it was stupid."

"It's not stupid," Aubrey said taking Beca's hands in hers. "My best friend is almost a basket case because she thinks you hooked up with someone last night that wasn't her. You don't act like that unless you care. Come with me. You two need to talk. Really talk."

"You really think she likes me?," Beca said. "I mean, _like_ likes me."

"I know she _like_ likes you," Aubrey said. "Now let's go."

Beca reluctantly followed Aubrey out of her dorm room. Aubrey started walking away from campus and Beca made her stop.

"I thought Chloe was in your apartment," Beca said. "This is the opposite direction. You're going to take me somewhere and kill me, aren't you?"

"Not this time," Aubrey says with a smirk. "I have to get ice cream to take back."

Aubrey grabbed Beca's arm to get her to start walking again. They get to the store and Aubrey got Chloe's favorite Ben & Jerry's flavors. Beca offered to carry the bag and they headed back to Chloe and Aubrey's apartment.

"You know," Aubrey said as they walked. "Chloe's my best friend. And I've seen her have a lot of crushes before. She's usually confident and doesn't have any problems telling someone she likes them. But something about you is different."

"I'm sorry," Beca said.

"No, it's not a bad different," Aubrey said. "It's just. I can't explain it. I don't know why she can't tell you she likes you."

"I probably don't make it easy for her," Beca said. "I tend to hide behind these walls I've put up because I don't want to get hurt again."

"May I ask why?," Aubrey said.

"I don't usually talk about it," Beca said. "But, it all started when my dad left my mom. I was daddy's little girl and when he left, he never looked back. I was five years old and devastated. Then, it was just me and my mom. For five years, everything was great. She helped me get over not having my dad around."

"What happened to her?," Aubrey asked.

"Jack happened," Beca spit out. "She met Jack and he didn't want a kid, so when I was ten my mother dropped me off at my grandmother's and pretty much forgot about me. I've only seen her twice in the past eight years."

Beca stopped talking. Aubrey sensed she had more to say so she kept quiet to give Beca time to gather her thoughts.

"I knew I was gay when I was fourteen," Beca continued. "My grandma tolerated it more than accepted it. But, at least she didn't kick me out. I met Cathy when I was fifteen and she became my girlfriend. I loved her and I thought she loved me. She left left me on my seventeenth birthday because she liked someone else. We had been together for two years and when she left it was like I no longer existed to her. So, the only times I've ever loved anyone, they just walked away and forgot about me, leaving me heartbroken. So, I put up these walls so it wouldn't happen again."

By now they were standing in front of Aubrey's apartment building. Aubrey looked at Beca and wiped a tear from her cheek.

"Beca," Aubrey said. "Chloe is not like that. I promise you, if you give her a chance, you guys could have something really special."

"I hope you're right," Beca said.

"Does that mean you're going to give her a chance?," Aubrey said.

"I kind of have to," Beca said. "I think I've kind of fallen in love with her."

"Well, then let's get you to together shall we?," Aubrey said with a smile.

Beca smiles back at Aubrey and they head into the building. They get to the apartment and Aubrey lets them in. She takes the ice cream and puts in the freezer.

"Chlo?," Aubrey calls out. "I'm back and I have a surprise for you."

Beca is standing in the living room waiting for Aubrey to get Chloe. Aubrey walks to Chloe's door and lightly taps on it.

"Hey, Chlo?," Aubrey said and opens the door to find Chloe laying on her side facing the wall. "I have a surprise for you."

"Can you just bring it in here?," Chloe says without turning around. "I don't feel like getting up."

"Sure," Aubrey says and motions for Beca to come to her.

Aubrey gives Beca a little push and whispers "Go on." Beca looks back at Aubrey and Aubrey quietly closes the door. Beca looked around the room and smiled. She took something from Chloe's dresser and stepped closer to the bed. She cleared her throat and Chloe looked over her shoulder and saw Beca standing there.

"Beca?," Chloe said and sits up on the bed. "What are you doing here?"

Beca doesn't say anything and sits on the bed next to Chloe. Chloe sat nervously playing with the blanket.

"I was at this party last night," Beca said turning to face Chloe. "And this girl that I really, really like was there. She kissed me and it was awesome. But, it turns out she only kissed me because I was sitting under some mistletoe. I felt something when she kissed me. And, I wanted to see if maybe she felt it too, so I thought we could try it again."

Beca looked up as she finished, causing Chloe to look up as well. Over their heads, Beca was holding the sprig of mistletoe Chloe had used the night before. They both looked down and their faces were just inches apart. Beca leaned in and captured Chloe's lips. Chloe returned the kiss before Beca pulled back.

"Not bad," Beca said. "Now, let's try it like this."

Beca tosses the mistletoe aside and grabs Chloe's face with both her hands and pulls her into another kiss. Chloe eagerly returns the kiss and finally pulls back and lays her forehead on Beca's.

"Even better," Beca whispers and kisses Chloe again.

Beca pulls back from the kiss and stares into Chloe's eyes. She smiles and Chloe smiles back.

"Would you like to go out with me?," Beca asked. "I'd love to take you to lunch right now."

"I'd love that," Chloe said. "Let me just freshen up and we can go."

"Okay," Beca said. "I'll wait in the living room for you."

Beca gives Chloe a quick kiss and gets up from the bed. She smiles down at Chloe and turns and leaves the room. Beca is all smiles when Aubrey sees her walking into the living room.

"I take it things went well," Aubrey said.

"Yeah, it did," Beca said. "I'm taking her to lunch."

"I'm really happy for you two," Aubrey said with a smile.

Chloe comes out and walks over to Beca. She takes her hand and smiles at Beca.

"Ready?," Chloe asks.

"Wait one sec," Beca says and goes into Chloe's room.

She comes out holding the mistletoe and tosses it to Aubrey. Aubrey catches the mistletoe and looks at Beca.

"Chloe won't be needing it anymore," Beca said with a grin. "And, I heard Stacie say she didn't have any plans for today. Merry Christmas."

Beca shoots Aubrey a big smile and grabs Chloe's hand leading her to the door. The two girls left Aubrey sitting there looking at the mistletoe.

"I wonder if Stacie's home right now," Aubrey thought.


	23. Coming Out for Christmas

**Prompt from Isaiah Flamez: How about Beca and Chlöe come out to their parents together and Chloe's parents accept them on Christmas but Beca's parents do not.**

 **Some angst ahead; hope you like what I did with it.**

* * *

Twenty-year-old, Beca Mitchell sat on her bed in her room at the Bellas house, looking at the disarray around her. She was supposed to be packing to go home for Christmas. But, she was nervous. She and her best friend/girlfriend, Chloe Beale, were planning to come out to their parents on Christmas.

This would be the first time she drove home with Chloe as more than just her best friend. Somehow, in the midst of being at home for the summer, Beca realized she was in love with Chloe. Beca did a good job of hiding it while they were at home because she didn't want to lose Chloe as a friend. They have been best friends since Beca's family moved across the street from the Beales when Beca and Chloe were both two-years-old. Hiding her feelings was much harder to do when you were attending the same college, in the Barden Bellas together, and living under the same roof in the Bellas House.

It had been a slow period of discovery before Beca was able to embrace being gay. She had always thought of herself as straight until one day she realized that she had more intimate feelings for her best friend. And thoughts of the opposite sex, did nothing for her. When she thinks back, guys to he were always better as friends than boyfriends. She ignored her feelings for Chloe as long as she could, thus ignoring Chloe as well. Truth be told, Chloe was not the type of girl to be ignored.

Chloe didn't label herself but if she did she would tell you she was bisexual. She still was attracted to men, but she was more attracted to women. One woman in particular. So, when Beca started ignoring and avoiding her, Chloe had to find out why. They were driving back to Barden after Thanksgiving break when they stopped to eat. Chloe was tired of the silent treatment, and being ignored so she kept after Beca until she broke down all of Beca's defenses and found out why Beca was acting the way she was. When Beca finally confessed that she loved Chloe in a non-platonic way, she kissed Beca and let her know she felt the same way. Beca asked Chloe to be her girlfriend the same day and they'd been a couple ever since. Now, they were going home to tell their parents.

"Hey, Becs," Chloe called out. "How's it going?"

Beca looked around the room and just waved her arm.

"How do you think it's going?," Beca said.

"Becs," Chloe said sitting next to her on the bed. "It's going to be okay. Our families have known each other for years. They'll be happy for us."

"I hope you're right," Beca said.

"Are you having second thoughts about us?," Chloe asked.

"No," Beca was quick to respond. "I just don't know how my dad and Sheila are going to react. I'm actually more worried about Sheila than my dad."

"Don't worry, I'll be right beside you," Chloe said. "I'm not sure about how my folks are going to react either. I haven't said anything to my mom about us yet, and I'm most afraid of what she'll think. She's not just my mom. She's also my best friend."

"Hey," Beca said with a small smile. "I thought I was your best friend."

"You both are," Chloe said. "You're my best friend _and_ my girlfriend. And she's my best friend _and_ my mom. Oh, and Aubrey is my best friend best friend."

"I love you, you know," Beca said smiling at Chloe.

"I know," Chloe said with a bright smile. "And, I love you, too."

Beca kissed Chloe and pulled back with a sigh.

"I guess I should finish packing," she said.

"I'm almost done," Chloe said. "I just wanted to know if I can borrow your black Barden hoodie. I want to wear it on the beach at night."

"Sure," Beca said finding the shirt and handing it Chloe. "Only because I like the way you look in my shirts."

Chloe thanked her and gave her a quick kiss. She skipped out of the room and Beca went back to packing. Chloe finishes her packing and comes back to Beca's room. Beca has made some progress but not much. Chloe starts folding clothes and putting things into Beca's suitcase.

"Becs," Chloe said. "You still have plenty of your stuff at your dad's so you only need to pack a few things. You're over stressing yourself."

"I know," Beca said running a hand through her hair. "I keep thinking we shouldn't have planned when we were going to tell our parents. We should have just done it when it felt right. The anticipation of their reactions is killing me."

"Are you ashamed of who you are?," Chloe asked

"No," Beca said.

"Are you ashamed of us?," Chloe asked.

"God, no," Beca said. " "I'm happier than I've ever been. Where are you going with this, Chlo?"

"If you're not ashamed of who you are," Chloe said. "And you're not ashamed of us, then why care what other people think?"

"I don't," Beca said and than added, quietly, "I just care about what my father thinks."

"Come here," Chloe said pulling Beca into a hug. "We love each other. And if our parents can't accept that, then screw them."

"You're right," Beca said pulling back from the hug. "As long as I have you, nothing else matters."

"That's my girl," Chloe said and gave Beca a kiss.

The next morning the girls packed up the car and started the drive to Tampa. Beca drove for the first three hours and was glad since it gave her mind something to do other than think about her dad. Chloe sang along to the radio and held Beca's hand throughout most of the three hours Beca was driving. Beca stopped for gas and Chloe got behind the wheel to drive the rest of the way.

"You know," Beca said. "This is our first visit home since we became girlfriends. And, we won't be sleeping in the same bed together. What if I can't sleep? I kind of got used to you being beside me."

"You could always just sneak out and come on over," Chloe said with smile "I'll sneak you in through my window."

"I am twenty," Beca said. "Not sixteen."

"We could always go to the tree house," Chloe said giving her a sexy wink. "You know, so we can be **alone**."

"I am not having our first time together," Beca said. "In a rickety old tree house in the middle of the woods."

"Well, we'd better find some place to your liking soon," Chloe said. "Or I may just combust."

"I know," Beca said. "I'm sorry I'm making you wait, but it will be my first time with you and I want it to be special."

"I don't mean to sound like I'm rushing you," Chloe said squeezing Beca's hand and kissing the back of it. "And our first time together, will be special. I promise."

Chloe pulls the car into her parent's driveway and parks. She looks over at Beca and smiles.

"I wish I could kiss you before you go to your house," Chloe said.

"I do too," Beca said. "But we have to cool it with the PDA until after we tell our folk."

"Do you want to say hi to my folks before you go home?," Chloe asked.

"Yeah," Beca said.

The two girls got of the car and walked to the front door. Before they made it all the way the door was thrown open by Chloe's mother, Charlotte. Chloe ran the last few feet and crashed into her mother for a hug.

"I've missed you, Chlo," Charlotte said.

"I've missed you, too," Chloe said.

"What about me?," Beca asked holding her arms open towards Charlotte.

"Oh, come here you," Charlotte said and grabbed Beca in a hug. "It's good to see you."

"Good to see you, too, Mama B," Beca said hugging her back.

"Where's dad?," Chloe asked.

"He had to go in to work," Charlotte said. "He'll be home for dinner. Are you coming over for dinner with us, Becs?"

"Thanks," Beca said. "But my dad will expect me to eat with him and Sheila."

"Okay, then," Charlotte said.

"I should probably get over there," Beca said. "I'll see you later."

"I'll walk out with you," Chloe said. "To get my luggage."

Beca and Chloe walk out and pull their suitcases out of the car.

"Will I see you later?," Chloe asks wanting to kiss Beca but puts her luggage between them to stop herself.

"I don't know," Beca said looking down at the ground. "You know how Sheila is. She'll want me to stay in because my dad hasn't seen me in a month."

"I really want to kiss you," Chloe said.

"I really want to kiss you, too," Beca said. "Want to get ice cream after dinner? Just the two of us."

"What about Sheila wanting you to stay in?," Chloe asked.

"I don't care," Beca said. "I want to spend some time with just you."

"I'd like that," Chloe said with a smile. "Text or call me when you're ready."

"Okay," Beca said.

Chloe pulled Beca into a hug and kissed her on the side of her head.

"I love you," she whispered before pulling out of the hug.

"I love you, too," Beca said with a smile and grabbed her suitcases.

Beca walked across the street to her house and got out her keys. She opened the front door and walked in.

"Dad?," Beca called out. "Sheila? Anyone home?"

Ben Mitchell walked out of his home office to greet Beca.

"Hello, Beca," Ben said. "How, um, how was the drive?"

"Pretty good," Beca said. "Not much in the way of traffic so we made good time."

"That's good," Ben said.

The father and daughter stood looking at each other.

"Your room is all ready for you," Ben said. "Sheila changed the sheets and aired it out a bit."

"Thanks," Beca said. "I'll just take my stuff up and get unpacked."

"Okay," Ben said. "Sheila should be back shortly. She had to pick up a few things from the store."

"Okay," Beca said. "I'll, um, see you later."

"Do you need help with those?," Ben asked pointing to Beca's suitcases.

"No thanks," Beca said. "I got it."

Beca went upstairs and Ben went back into his office. Sheila came home and Beca went down to greet her. She brought the gifts she had for everyone to put under the tree.

"How are you, Beca?," Sheila asked as she watched Beca place the gifts.

"I'm good," Beca said. "How's everything going with you?"

"Everything's going well, thank you," Sheila said. "I was planning on spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. We'll be eating around 5:30 because your father and I have Bible study tonight at 6:30. You're welcome to join us."

"Um, thanks," Beca said. "But, Chloe and I already made plans to get ice cream and catch up with some friends."

"Okay," Sheila said. "I'm going to go start dinner."

"Do you need any help?," Beca asked praying she'd say no.

"No, but thanks for asking," Sheila said.

Beca gave her a small smile and Sheila went to the kitchen. After dinner Ben and Sheila left for Bible study and Beca walked over to Chloe's.

"Hi," Beca said when Chloe opened the door. "I need to talk to you."

"Okay," Chloe said and turned back to call out. "Mom, I'm going to get ice cream with Beca. I'll see you later."

"Okay, dear," Charlotte said. "Be careful."

Chloe said they would and closed the door. Beca followed Chloe to her car and they got in and drove off.

"What's wrong?," Chloe asked taking a quick glance at Beca.

"My dad and Sheila went to Bible study," Beca said. "This does not bode well for me."

"Beca," Chloe said. "It doesn't mean anything."

"Yes, it does," Beca said her voice raised slightly. "Sheila was always praying and now she's got my dad going to Bible study. What am I going to do?"

Chloe could see the tears in Beca's eyes. She pulled the car into a deserted parking lot and turned it off. She pulled Beca to her in a tight hug.

"We're in this together, remember?," Chloe said kissing her head. "And, no matter what they say, we'll get through it. We have to believe that."

Beca pulled back from Chloe and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I'm sorry I'm being such a Debbie downer," Beca said. "We planned this little outing so we could be ourselves and I'm ruining it."

"You're not ruining it," Chloe said with a gleam in her eye. "We're in a deserted parking lot, in a dark corner. We could make out."

"I like the way you think, Beale," Beca said and crashed her lips against Chloe's

The girls had a mini-makeout session for about 10 minutes before Chloe pulled back.

"We need to stop," Chloe said trying to control her breath.

"Yeah," Beca said also breathing heavy. "You know, that tree house in the woods starting to sound pretty good."

Chloe laughed and slapped Beca on the arm. Beca gave her a big smile and they both got themselves together and went for ice cream.

It was finally Christmas day and Beca was nervous. The Mitchells and the Beales alternated having Christmas dinner in their homes and this year it was the Mitchells' turn to host. Charlotte Beale came over early to help Sheila cook. Beca could hear them talking and laughing in the kitchen. She went in and said hello to Charlotte.

"Is Chloe home?," Beca asked her. "I wanted to see if she wanted to come over and listen to some music."

"Carl was going to see his friend, Mike, in the hospital," Charlotte said. "Chloe said she'd go with him."

"Okay, thanks," Beca said. "I'll just text her to come over here when she gets back."

Beca leaves the kitchen as Sheila asks Charlotte about their friend Mike. Beca sends a text to Chloe and goes back up to her room. Beca has been in her room for about half an hour with her headphones on when Chloe came in. Beca took her headphones off and turned off the music.

"Hey," Chloe said. "What'cha listening to?"

"Just some random stuff," Beca said leaning in to kiss Chloe. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you, too," Chloe said kissing Beca. "We should probably get downstairs. Sheila said dinner would be ready shortly."

"Okay," Beca said with a smile. "Sheila's been really nice to me today. I can't decide if it's because it's Christmas, or she is really glad I'm here."

"Who cares?," Chloe said. "Don't question it. Just embrace it."

"You're such a weirdo," Beca says and gives Chloe a quick kiss.

"And, yet you still love me," Chloe said with a grin.

"Yes, I do," Beca said and took Chloe's hand to lead her out of her room.

Beca dropped Chloe's hand when they were halfway down the stairs. She took a deep breath and went to set the table. Dinner was ready and the two families were enjoying turkey with all the trimmings. Sheila suggested they have dessert in the living room. They were enjoying coffee and just chatting when Beca looked at Chloe and she gave her a slight nod.

"Um, you guys," Beca said clearing her throat and standing up. "There's something that I, that we, need to tell you."

"What is it, Beca?," Ben asked her. "Are you pregnant?"

"Dad," Beca said looking at him sharply. "I'm not pregnant. Why would you immediately go there?"

"You're in college," Ben said shrugging his shoulders. "It wouldn't be a surprise."

"It'd be a bigger surprise than you could imagine," Beca said and Chloe stood up next to her. "What I wanted to tell you is. We. Um, Chloe and I are girlfriends. As in not just best friends, but a couple. We're dating. We love each other."

"Are you saying the two of you are gay?," Ben asked looking back and forth between the two girls.

"No," Beca said. "I'm saying I'm gay. Chloe identifies as bisexual. I don't like guys. I, I just like women."

"This is wonderful, dear," Charlotte said standing to hug Chloe. "You and Beca always were cute together. I can't think of anyone better for you."

"How can you think this is wonderful? This is an abomination," Ben's voice booms out as he jumps up and points at Chloe. "This is all your doing."

"Hold on there, Ben," Carl says standing as well. "You will not speak to Chloe in that manner."

"Don't tell me what I will not do in my own house," Ben yelled and looked at Beca and Chloe. "Get out! Both of you. I will not tolerate a homosexual daughter and her deviant girlfriend in my house."

"Ben! Stop it!," Sheila jumps up yelling. "She's your daughter."

"Not anymore," Ben said. "Not if she continues with the nonsense."

Carl is furious. He makes a move toward Ben. Charlotte steps in front of him to stop him.

"We need to worry about Beca and Chloe," Charlotte whispers to him.

Beca stands stunned during all of this. Tears are running down her face. Chloe reaches for her and Beca pulls away.

"I told you this would happen," Beca yells at Chloe and runs out the front door.

Chloe looks at her mom with tears running down her face.

"Go," Charlotte says. "Get her and bring her back to our house."

Chloe nods her head and runs out the door after Beca. Charlotte takes Carl by the arm and starts to lead him to the door. They stop when they hear Sheila yell at Ben.

"What is wrong with you?," Sheila yells at Ben. "Beca was beginning to open up and she was brave enough to tell us this and you kick her out. I don't understand you."

"Homosexuality is a sin and I will not have that sinner in my house," Ben said fists clenched in anger.

"Fine," Sheila said and turns to look at the Beales. "Charlotte, would you mind if I waited with you until Chloe brings Beca back?"

"Not at all," Charlotte says.

Charlotte, Carl, and Sheila move to leave. Carl turns to Ben.

"When you've calmed down we can talk," Carl said. "Those two girls love each other. And, I will not allow you to speak about either one of them in a derogatory manner again."

"I'll be back after I've had a chance to talk to Beca," Sheila told Ben.

"If you walk out that door," Ben tells her. "Don't bother coming back."

Charlotte and Carl look at Sheila. Sheila looks at Ben and just nods her head. She, Charlotte, and Carl walk out the door, leaving Ben standing in the middle of the living room, alone.

Chloe ran out the door and saw Beca running down the street and gave chase. She called out to her but Beca didn't stop. Beca ran into the woods and Chloe followed her. She knew where Beca was headed. Chloe reached the tree house and saw Beca climbing up into it. Chloe sent her mom a text letting her know she found Beca and she'd bring her home as soon as she could. Chloe climbed up to the tree house.

"Go away," Beca said, her voice thick from her tears.

"I can't do that," Chloe said through her own tears. "The girl I love is hurting and I'm here to make sure she's okay."

"I'm not," Beca said wiping at her tears. "What did your folks say after I left? Do they think it's my fault, too?"

"No," Chloe said pulling Beca to her. "My mom wants me to bring you back to our house."

"They don't hate me?," Beca asks.

"Nope," Chloe said. "They still love you. Didn't you hear my mom? She thinks we're cute together."

"Not cute," Beca says with a grin that leaves her face as quickly as it came. "Do you think your folks will let me stay at your place until we go back to Barden?

"I know they will," Chloe said without hesitation.

"I'm sorry I ran off like that," Beca said. "It-"

Beca tried to hold back the sob, but it burst out of her. Chloe just held her tighter.

"I know, baby," Chloe said. "I know."

They sat huddled together until Beca was calmer. She pulled back from Chloe and wiped at her face.

"You know, the funny thing is," Beca said. "I thought it was Sheila I had to worry about not accepting me. I thought my dad would at least try to be supportive. I didn't think he could be that hateful."

"I am sorry, Becs," Chloe said. "But, at least we have my folks in our corner."

"Yeah," Beca said. "We should probably get back. It's getting a little chilly."

Beca and Chloe climb down from the tree house and walk hand-in-hand to Chloe's house. As soon as the enter, Charlotte is grabbing Beca in a hug. Beca can't help but let the tears flow, knowing that the Beales are there for her.

"You and Sheila can stay here as long as you need to," Charlotte told her causing Beca to pull back.

"Sheila?," Beca asked confused.

"Yeah," Sheila said from behind Charlotte. "I came with Charlotte and Carl to make sure you were alright. Your father said if I left, not to come back. So, here I am."

"I'm sorry," Beca said and hugged Sheila.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Sheila told her. "I'm here for you. I'll let your father calm down and I'll talk to him. And, honestly, if he continues to be like this, I'm not sure I want to stay with him."

"I don't want you to break up because of me," Beca says quietly.

"It won't be because of you, sweetie," Sheila says and hugs her tighter. "It will be because of him."

Chloe was being hugged by her mother and father. She wiped away more tears.

"So, tell me how you two got together," Charlotte said. "Wait. I'll make us some hot chocolate and then you can tell us."

Chloe laughed and Beca smiled. Chloe looked at Beca and Beca walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. She pulled back and went to kiss Chloe but stopped and looked around.

"It's okay if you kiss her," Carl said. "I'd think it was weird if you didn't, her being your girlfriend and all."

Beca and Chloe both smiled and kissed.

"I love you," Beca said when the kiss ended.

"I love you, too," Chloe told her.

With Chloe by her side, Beca knew that everything would be okay.

"Merry Christmas, everyone," Beca said as they sat down to have their hot chocolate and hear the story of how Beca and Chloe became a couple.

* * *

 **Only 2 more days until Christmas, which means only 2 more cha** **pters in the** _ **25 Days of BeChloe Christmases**_ **. Thanks to everyone for your prompts, reviews, faves, and follows. I do apologize that I wasn't able to do all the prompts that were submitted.**


	24. The USO Christmas Tour

**I had this idea for a while but originally had other characters that I made up. But, with PP3 out with already established character, I used them instead. Lots of angst but always a feel good ending.**

 **I haven't included the disclaimer in a while so here we go: I do not own any parts of the Pitch Perfect franchise or any of its characters. Although, I if I did own any part of Pitch Perfect 3, I wouldn't admit it. Just so disappointed with it.**

 **PS - Merry Christmas Eve!**

* * *

The Bellas arrived in Paris on the final leg of the USO Christmas Tour for the Troops. The performance was tomorrow, Christmas day.

They were on the tarmac listening to Chicago, their military escort, explain their itinerary for their final performance. Beca looked over to say something to Chloe and Chloe was full on flirting with Chicago.

"Seriously, Chloe?," she says.

"What?," Chloe says twirling her hair and not looking at Beca.

"I can't keep doing this," Beca said and walked away from the Bellas and into the hangar where she saw the other groups hanging out.

Beca stopped and stood with her arms folded waiting to the rest of the Bellas to be led over. Chicago was leading them over with Chloe walking next to him, smiling up at him and hanging onto his every word. They stopped when they reached Beca.

"Chloe, may I have a word with you?," Beca asked Chloe.

"Not now, Beca," Chloe said. "Chicago is giving us some very important information."

"Of course he is," Beca said.

Beca turned and walked over to where Calamity and her group were sitting. Calamity looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, Calamity," Beca said. "I'm sorry for intruding, but I just wanted to not be over there."

"We get it," Calamity said. "I've been watching you. What's up with you and Red over there?"

Beca keeps throwing side glances at Chloe and can't believe the she's still following Chicago around like a puppy dog. Calamity tells her girls she'll catch up with them.

"Everything okay?," Calamity asks once she and Beca are alone.

"Yes, no," Beca says. "I don't know. You asked what's up with Chloe. I am totally in love with her."

"Yeah," Calamity says. "That makes sense. I've seen the way you look at her."

"Yeah," Beca said. "Well, I'm constantly having to watch her make a fool of herself over everyone but me. And it just. . .hurts."

"How long have you two known each other?," Calamity asks.

"Seven years," Beca said. "We've know each other for 7 years and I've kind of been in love with her for most of them. I've been ready to tell her how I feel for the past year but she was never single long enough for me to take my shot. She's single now and I had this big elaborate thing planned while we were here. And, now-"

"She's crushing on GI Joe?," Calamity said.

"Yeah," Beca said. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I really love her and was so ready to tell her and be with her. Now, it doesn't look like we are ever going to happen."

"Let me buy you a drink," Calamity said. "We can talk some more and maybe figure out how you can still do your grand gesture to tell her how you feel."

"Seriously?," Beca said. "You'd do that? You don't even know me."

"No, I don't know you, but I was in your shoes not too long ago," Calamity said. "I had feelings for a girl and I never told her. She's married now and is expecting their first child. That could have been me if I had just grown a pair and told her. So yeah, I know how you feel."

"Wow," Beca said. "I think we can both use a drink."

Just as Beca and Calamity start to leave Chloe came up to Beca.

"Hey, Becs," Chloe said hugging Beca from behind. "You said you wanted to talk."

"Not now, Chloe," Beca said moving out of Chloe's hold.

"Why can't you talk now?," Chloe asked frowning when Beca moved away from her.

"I'm talking to Calamity right now," Beca said. "And, obviously, whatever I wanted to talk about wasn't important."

"What do you mean, 'obviously'?," Chloe said.

"Nothing," Beca said waving it off. "Forget it."

"Well, the girls want to go get a drink," Chloe said. "Chicago said there's a place not too far from here. We're meeting up with him in like ten minutes to head over."

"Maybe some other time," Beca says. "Calamity and I already have plans to get a drink. So, I'll catch you guys later."

"Have a nice evening, Chloe," Calamity said.

"Um, you too," Chloe said.

"I'll see you later, Chloe," Beca said and walked away with Calamity.

"Was that Beca leaving with Calamity?," CR asked as the Bellas caught up with Chloe.

"Yeah, that was Calamity," Chloe spit out through clenched teeth. "She asked Beca out for a drink."

"Damn, Shorty got game," CR said. "Calamity's hot. Anyway, ladies, let's get our drink on."

The girls all whoop and head off. Chloe was chewing on her bottom lip as she continued to look at where Beca and Calamity walked off.

"If I were you," Aubrey said. "I'd stop flirting with Chicago and tell Beca how I felt."

"I wasn't flirting with Chicago," Chloe said.

"No?," Aubrey asked and then in a breathy voice said, "Oh, seventeen-hundred. Is that, like, after night time? Oh, I can totes see how you consider the army your family. Any of that sound familiar."

"I did not sound like that," Chloe said.

"Yes, you did," Aubrey said. "Everyone, including Beca, sees how you've been acting around Chicago. Flirting and following him around. You even brushed Beca off when she wanted to talk to you. If you were Beca Mitchell, what would you be thinking after all that?"

Chloe looks down at the floor and doesn't say anything. She knows exactly what Beca was thinking.

"I'm just flirty by nature," Chloe finally says. "Plus, you've been around him. Chicago is so cute, and nice, and he looks really good in his uniform."

"Maybe you should think about what it's doing to Beca," Aubrey said. "She has been waiting for you to be single for quite some time now. Waiting for her chance to be with you. If you want to pursue something with Chicago, and not Beca, let the rest of us know so we can be there for her when she breaks. Because, it will kill her to be around you while you're with someone else again. And, honestly, I don't think she's going to stick around if that happens."

Chloe wiped a tear from her eye. She knew Aubrey was right. The only problem, she doesn't believe that Beca feels the same way. Plus, she felt an instant connection to Chicago and knows he felt it too. She really thinks she wants to see if this thing with Chicago could lead to something. Beca has always been there for her. Why wouldn't she be this time around?

"I need a drink," Chloe said.

Chloe and Aubrey met up with the other Bellas, as well as Chicago. He led them to the bar he had mentioned and the girls all ordered their drinks.

"Can I buy you a drink?," Chicago asked Chloe.

"I never say no to free alcohol," Chloe said with a smile.

Chicago headed to the bar to get their drinks and Chloe joined the Bellas at their table. She looked around the bar and saw Beca sitting with Calamity. She had her hand on Calamity's arm and her head was close to Calamity's, like they were telling each other secrets. Chloe kept watching the two. They seemed awfully close for having just met a few days ago.

"Are you okay?," Chicago asked as he placed Chloe's drink in front of her. "What's got you all frowny?"

"I was just looking at Beca and Calamity," Chloe said. "They seem way too friendly for the short amount of time they've known each other."

"You could say the same about us," Chicago said taking a sip of his beer.

"What?," Chloe said. "We're not. I don't-"

"Come on, Chloe," Chicago said. "You've been flirting with me since you first laid eyes on me. Not that I'm complaining. I mean you're really hot and I do like you. I'd like to see where this could go. What do you say?"

Chloe looked over at Beca and saw her with her head close to Calamity's whispering. Chloe wiped a tear from her eye and looked back at Chicago.

"I don't thi-," was all Chloe said before Chicago crashed their lips together in a kiss.

Just then, Beca looked over at the Bellas table and her heart sank into her stomach. Chloe was kissing Chicago.

"I guess I'm too late," Beca said to Calamity. "I have to go."

Beca jumped up and ran out of the bar. Calamity saw what Beca saw and went running after her.

"Beca!," Calamity called after her.

Aubrey had been watching Chloe and Beca. She got up and ran out after Beca as well. They both missed Chloe pushing Chicago away. The Bellas all saw Aubrey get up and run out.

"Chicago I don't think-," Chloe began before being cut off by Amy.

"Should we go after them?," Amy asked looking confused.

"Go after who?," Chloe said.

"Beca and Aubrey," Amy said. "And Calamity. They all three just ran out of here."

"Why?," Chloe asked looking over to where she last saw Beca.

"That's why I asked if we should go after them," Amy said with a 'duh' expression. "To find out why they all ran out."

"I can guess why Beca ran out," CR said glaring at Chloe and then Chicago.

"Look, I didn't want Chicago to kiss me," Chloe said uncomfortably.

"You didn't?," Chicago asked but was ignored.

"That's not the way it looked to me," CR said angrily. "Which means, that's not the way it looked to Beca."

"What's with all the animosity, CR?," Jessica asked.

"You really need to ask that?," CR snapped back. "Beca has been waiting for Chloe to be single to let her know how she feels about her. Every time she's ready to take her shot, Chloe is hooking up with someone else. Beca had something big planned for while we're here; to finally get her shot at being with Chloe. And five minutes after meeting GI Jerk over there, she's all over him."

Chloe's face paled when she heard CR say Beca had been planning something. Chicago was looking between her and CR.

"What the hell is she talking about, Chloe?," Chicago asked.

"I've had feelings for Beca for a while," Chloe said softly. "She doesn't feel the same way. We're just not meant to be."

"Not meant to be?," CR asked standing. "There are no two people who were more meant to be than you two. Doesn't feel the same? Did you not hear what I said about the big gesture she had planned for you. Wake up, Chloe, before it's too late and Beca finally walks away from you, from us, and stops trying. I, for one, like having her in my life. I thought you did, too."

CR stormed out of the bar. The other girls didn't know what to do.

"Do you really think that you and Beca aren't meant to be, Chloe?," Amy asked. "For the past year all she ever wanted was for you to be single for more than five minutes so she could ask you out. This trip was her time, her chance. It was until she saw you kissing GI Joe over there. You've known him for like seven minutes. You've know Beca for seven years. Why does everyone else get a shot with you and Beca doesn't?"

Amy didn't wait for an answer and got up saying, "I'm going to go help find Beca."

Jessica, Ashley, Lily, and Emily all stared at Chloe before getting up and following Amy. Chloe is left standing there with tears falling down her face and Chicago standing next to her wondering what the hell had just happened.

Beca didn't know where to go. She just knew she had to get away from Chloe and Chicago. It hurt so much to know that Chloe could be kissing someone like that after only knowing them a couple of days. This was supposed to be her chance with Chloe, not his.

Beca started walking away from the bar, away from Chloe. When she heard someone call her name, she quickened her pace and ignored it thinking it might actually be Chloe. She only stopped when she realized that several voices were calling her name. She turned to see Calamity, Aubrey, and the rest of the Bellas, sans Chloe, running to her. Of course Chloe wouldn't come after her, she had Chicago.

"I'm so sorry, Beca," Aubrey said when the group reached her.

Beca stood there looking at the ground and nodding her head not able to speak because of the lump in her throat. She watched as a tear fell off the end of her nose to the ground. She felt a pair of arms go around her and she buried her head in the chest of whoever it was and let the tears fall. She had a feeling it was Aubrey and she grabbed onto the back of her shirt and held on as she let the tears fall.

"Chloe?," Chicago said. "Want to fill me in on what's actually going on here?"

"I'm in love with Beca," Chloe said. "She's my best friend and I've been in love with her for years. I, I never told her because I never wanted to lose her from my life. I thought if she knew how I felt she would run and I'd never see her again. And I need her in my life."

"From what I heard," Chicago said. "She does feel the same way about you. You've just always been unavailable. Don't you think it's time you stopped jumping from one relationship into another and tell her how you feel? Give her a chance to tell you how she feels."

"What if she doesn't feel the same way?," Chloe asks through her tears.

"What if she does?," Chicago asked. "Seems to me you've been assuming an awful lot. And using other people to hide behind your true feelings and to keep from getting hurt. Imagine how hurt Beca is feeling, the whole time loving you and seeing you with someone else. Go find her. Tell her how you feel. And, I'm sorry I kissed you. I thought you wanted me to."

Chicago gave Chloe a smile. Chloe smiled back at him through her tears. Maybe Chicago and CR were right, Chloe thought. At some point, I have to grow a pair and just tell her.

"I have to find Beca," Chloe said wiping the tears from her face.

"Come on," Chicago says grabbing Chloe's hand. "Let's start at the hotel."

Chloe follows Chicago out of the bar and head toward the hotel. When they arrive Chloe rushes in and goes straight to the room she was sharing with Beca.

"She's not here," Chloe says. "But her stuff still is. That's a good sign, right?"

"I think so," Chicago said. "Where else do you think she'd go?"

"I don't know," Chloe says. "Maybe I should just wait here until she comes back."

"Do you want me to wait with you?," Chicago asks.

"Would you?," Chloe asks. "It could be a while. And I'm really nervous and don't want to be alone."

"What about the other Bellas?," Chicago asks. "Where are they?"

"Good question," Chloe said and pulled out her phone.

Every Bellas' phone pinged with a text message as they all walked back to the hotel.

"Chloe wants to know if we found Beca," Aubrey says after reading the text. "I'll tell her we did but leave it at that."

"Thank you," Beca said.

The girls continued walking until they reached the hotel. Beca thanked Calamity for being there and she left to find her band mates.

"Aubrey," Beca said. "Can you swap rooms with me for the night? I know it's childish, but I really don't want stay in the same room with Chloe right now."

"Sure, Beca," Aubrey said. "I understand. How about I get your pajamas and a change of clothes and bring them to you?"

"Thanks," Beca says and hands Aubrey her room's key card and goes with Amy to her new room.

Aubrey uses the key card Beca gave her and enters the room. She walks in to find Chloe and Chicago asleep on Chloe's bed. Chloe is laying on her side with her head on his chest and her leg thrown over his thighs. Her arm is across his waist. Chicago has his arm around Chloe's back holding her to him.

"Chloe," Aubrey says loudly, shaking the redhead. "Chloe, get your ass up. We need to talk."

"What the hell, Brey?," Chloe said sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

Chicago sits up and looks around the room. His eyes land on Aubrey.

"Care to tell me why _he's_ in your bed?," Aubrey said. "What if Beca had walked in? Or is that what you were hoping would happen? Twist the knife a little more. God, Chloe, do you even know what you're doing anymore?"

"Brey!," Chloe yells.

"Whoa, there Aubrey," Chicago said. "It's not what it looks like."

"You, shut up!," Aubrey tells him and glares at him.

"Yes, ma'am," Chicago says and gets up. "I'm just gonna go."

"Thanks for everything, Chicago," Chloe calls out as walks toward the door.

"No problem," Chicago says and practically runs out the door when he sees the look Aubrey is giving him.

Aubrey opens the drawers and looks for Beca's pajamas and some clothes for tomorrow.

"What are you doing?," Chloe asks. "That's Beca's stuff."

Aubrey puts Beca's clothes on the bed. She walks into the bathroom.

"I'm well aware," Aubrey says. "We're swapping rooms for the night."

"What? Why?," Chloe said standing up and grabbing Aubrey's arm.

"The reason why just left," Aubrey said. "And, because I actually care about what she's going through."

Aubrey puts Beca's toiletries with the clothes and checks to see if she needs anything else.

"Nothing happened with Chicago," Chloe said. "I was waiting for Beca and he offered to stay so I wouldn't be alone. We fell asleep. That's it."

"Chloe, I'm your best friend," Aubrey said. "And, I'm not even sure I believe you after seeing you two together the past couple of days."

Aubrey takes Beca's stuff and leaves the room. Chloe hesitates for a moment before running after her. She follows Aubrey to Amy's room.

"Go back to your room, Chloe," Aubrey tells her as she stops in front of the door. "Beca needs some space right now. I think you should give it to her."

"Brey," Chloe says. "Nothing happened between me and Chicago. And, I really need to talk to Beca. I, I need to tell her how I feel before she goes off with Calamity."

"Not tonight, Chlo," Aubrey says sounding tired. "Just go back to the room. It's been a really long day for everyone."

"Fine," Chloe says. "But, I will be sitting outside this door first thing in the morning."

The next morning, true to her word, Chloe was up and ready by 6:00 am. She was sitting outside Beca and Amy's door by 6:05. She sat on the floor directly opposite the door. At 8:00 some of the girls were coming out of their rooms to go to breakfast. They all said good morning while looking at her strangely. The door she has been waiting for finally opened and out came Fat Amy.

"Is Beca up yet?," Chloe asked as she stood up.

"She's gone," Amy said.

"What do you mean, she's gone?," Aubrey says having heard Amy.

"I mean as in she left last night," Amy said.

"Where did she go?," Chloe asked.

"I don't know," Amy said. "Calamity came by and said something to her and she left. She did say she'd see us at rehearsal."

"Brey," Chloe sobbed. "She's with Calamity. What am I going to do?"

Aubrey pulled Chloe to her and held her while she cried. Amy stood there awkwardly before deciding to just walk away. Aubrey had no words of comfort to give Chloe so she just held her.

Chloe finally calmed down and Aubrey got her to wash her face and go down to breakfast. She needed to eat something to fuel up for rehearsal. Chloe managed to choke down some fruit before the girls headed to rehearsal. Chicago met the girls and drove them to the rehearsal space. He helped the girls out of the van and caught up to Chloe.

"Are you okay?," Chicago asked.

Chloe just nodded her head. Chicago put his arm around Chloe's shoulders and gave her a quick side hug. Beca caught this and looked at Calamity.

"Are you sure about this?," Beca asked her.

"Trust me," Calamity said. "You're going to get your shot."

"I hope you're right," Beca said. "Because, right now, it looks like I've lost my only shot."

"Let's just do this," Calamity said. "Ready, girls?"

The girls all nod and start one of their songs. The Bellas are talking quietly amongst themselves about their set list. Chloe was looking around trying to find Beca. She sighed and slumped her shoulders, staring down at her hands.

Evermoist finished their first song and the other groups politely clapped. Calamity stepped to the mic.

"This next song goes out to a special someone," Calamity said. "You know who you are. At least we hope you do."

The music started for John Legend's _All of Me._ The vocals came in and Chloe's head jerked up. That was Beca singing. Why was Beca singing with Evermoist? The rest of the Bellas sat there with their mouths open when they saw and heard Beca.

 _What would I do without your smart mouth?  
Drawing me in, and you kicking me out  
You've got my head spinning, no kidding,  
I can't pin you down_

Beca walked down off the stage and stopped. She was looking at Chloe.

 _What's going on in that beautiful mind  
I'm on your magical mystery ride  
And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me,  
but I'll be alright_

Chloe watched Beca with tears in her eyes and a hopeful smile on her face. The Bellas were all smiles.

 _My head's under water  
But I'm breathing fine  
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind_

 _'Cause all of me  
Loves all of you  
Love your curves and all your edges  
All your perfect imperfections  
Give your all to me  
I'll give my all to you  
You're my end and my beginning  
Even when I lose I'm winning_

Beca started walking closer to Chloe, her eyes never leaving Chloe's face.

 _'Cause I give you all of me  
And you give me all of you, oh oh  
How many times do I have to tell you  
Even when you're crying you're beautiful too_

Beca was now standing directly in front of Chloe and reached out her hand to wipe away Chloe's tears.

 _The world is beating you down, I'm around through every mood  
You're my downfall, you're my muse  
My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues  
I can't stop singing, it's ringing, in my head for you_

 _My head's under water  
But I'm breathing fine  
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind  
'Cause all of me  
Loves all of you  
Love your curves and all your edges  
All your perfect imperfections  
Give your all to me  
I'll give my all to you  
You're my end and my beginning  
Even when I lose I'm winning_

' _Cause I give you all of me  
And you give me all of you, oh oh  
Give me all of you  
_

 _Cards on the table, we're both showing hearts  
Risking it all, thought it's hard_

 _'Cause all of me  
_ _Loves all of you  
_ _Love your curves and all your edges  
_ _All your perfect imperfections_

 _Give your all to me  
I'll give my all to you  
You're my end and my beginning  
Even when I lose I'm winning  
'Cause I give you all of me  
And you give me all of you  
I give you all of me  
And you give me all of you, oh oh_

Beca finished the song and Chloe flew into her arms. Beca barely kept them from falling on the floor. The Bellas and everyone else started cheering and clapping. Chloe smiled and grabbed Beca's lips in a hungry kiss and Beca kissed her back.

"I guess this means you liked the song," Beca said as she pulled back from the kiss.

"I loved it," Chloe whispered through her tears. "And, I love you."

"I've loved you for what feels like a lifetime," Beca said. "All I ever wanted was a chance to show you."

"I know," Chloe said. "And, I'm sorry. I was afraid. I didn't want to lose you."

"You won't," Beca said and pulled out a small wrapped gift that she handed to Chloe. "Merry Christmas."

Chloe took the gift and opened it up. Inside was a gold necklace with an infinity symbol pendant.

"I have one, too," Beca said. "To show that no matter what, we will always be together as friends, and hopefully, something much more. To infinity."

"I love you," Chloe said again and pulled Beca into another kiss.

* * *

 **Song used is John Legend's** _ **All of Me**_ **. I don't own anything to do with the song or John Legend.**

 **One more chapter and we will conclude the _25 Days of BeChloe Christmases_. Although, per the kind request of Lasleonas007, there will be a bonus for New Year's. So, stay tuned next week for that.**

 **Again, I want to thank everyone for the prompts. There were a few I was not able to get to, but do plan on using some (as in NOT ALL) of them in a collection of one-shots I am planning to do. AND, I am planning to do** _ **14 Days of BeChloe Valentines**_ **(February 1-14). I have some ideas already but will accept some prompts for that as well.**

 **Now I have to go to bed so Santa will visit. Good night, All. Until tomorrow!**


	25. Held Capitive' Family Christmas

**I am so, so sorry for not posting on December 25, 2017. Just had family visiting and they didn't leave until very, very late. I had tried all day yesterday (December 26, 2017) to submit this chapter and kept getting an error message. Finally sent a message to the site's support team but haven't head back from them and decided to give it another shot this morning and looks like everything is okay now. Yay!**

 **Born2Try prompt: I have a suggestion why not revisit "Held Captive"' so we can see how Beca does Christmas, for Chloe, Emily, and the girls. Maybe it could include Emily seeing Santa for the first time.**

 **Quick recap in case you haven't read "Held Captive": Beca is a detective and Chloe has been missing for two years. Chloe is finally found along with two other girls, Denise and Ashley, and Chloe's 14-month-old daughter, Emily (who was born while Chloe was held captive). Beca falls in love with Chloe and adopts Emily. Ashley's family life before she was captured wasn't good and Beca saves Ashley's 15-year-old sister, Amanda, from the same fate. Beca and Chloe get married and adopt Amanda as their daughter. Denise's only living relative was her grandmother; she had died a few months before Denise was found. Beca welcomed them all into her home and helped them continue their college educations and be a part of a loving family.**

* * *

Detective Beca Mitchell cannot believe how much her life has changed in the last 7 months. She found and married the love of her life. Adopted not one, but two daughters, and gained three 'sisters', and the greatest in-laws ever. Her youngest daughter, Emily, was just 20 months old and Beca lived for the firsts she was able to do with Emily. She was able to be a part of her first taste of ice cream, her first trip to the zoo, and her first time seeing fireworks on the 4th of July. Her first Halloween was as much fun for Beca as it was for Emily. Emily was dressed as a Cop and Beca dressed as a prisoner and carried Emily from house to house. Now, she was going to have her first Thanksgiving.

Beca woke up smiling every morning, and today was no exception. She kissed her gorgeous wife, Chloe, and quietly climbed out of bed. She showered and threw on some sweats and a hoodie before checking on Emily. She smiled at her as she watched Emily sleeping. She then went downstairs to make breakfast before the kitchen was overtaken by Mama B and the girls to cook Thanksgiving dinner.

Beca was just taking the frittatas out of the oven when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She got out plates and eating utensils and set everything out on the counter. She poured Chloe's coffee and added cream and sugar. Chloe came in with Emily in her arms. Beca kissed them both and handed Chloe her coffee. Denise and Ashley came in. Ashley was 7 1/2 months pregnant. Her best friend, Jesse, was in love with Ashley and, even though he hadn't said anything, Beca thinks he might propose at Christmas.

Thanksgiving dinner saw the whole family around the table. Emily loved the turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. She wasn't a big fan of the sweet potatoes or the green bean casserole. She loved the pumpkin pie and Beca had to give her a bath after she finished eating her dessert. She somehow managed to get it all over herself.

Beca woke the day after Thanksgiving with a bigger smile than usual. She had a team of decorators coming to decorate the entire house for Christmas. This would be Emily's first real Christmas and the first Christmas with Chloe and the girls. Beca was determined to have The. Best. Christmas. Ever.

Beca sent Chloe and all the girls on a Black Friday shopping spree. The decorators showed up 10 minutes after everyone was gone. Beca supervised the decorating but left the tree bare so they could decorate it as a family. It was a somewhat overcast day, which Beca was thankful for because she could see how the outside lights and decorations looked when they were turned on to make sure everything worked. Beca was thrilled with how everything turned out and gave the workers a huge tip as a thank you.

Beca sent Chloe a text asking when they might be home. She received a reply saying they were on their way and would be home in about 10 minutes. Beca got excited and went to the door to wait until Chloe had pulled into the driveway. Beca waited until Chloe got Emily out of the car before she switched on the lights. Beca watched as Emily's face lit up and she clapping and squealing, turning her head and eyes trying to see everything at once.

Beca walked out with a huge smile on her face. Emily reached out for her and Beca took her. She kissed Chloe and started walking Emily around to see all the lights. Chloe, Denise, and Amanda walked with them as Beca showed them everything. Ashley, unfortunately, had to hurry inside to use the bathroom. She came back out a few minutes later.

"You guys need to come see inside," Ashley said with a big smile.

Beca led the way and the others stopped as soon as they stepped inside the door.

"Beca," Chloe said looking around. "This is amazing. How did you do all this?"

"I had some help," Beca said walking over to Chloe. "I left the tree bare so that we could all decorate it together. My grandma used to make us hot chocolate and cookies and we'd always decorate the tree as a family. I want to continue that tradition with my family."

"You really are one of a kind, Beca Mitchell," Chloe said and kissed Beca.

"I just want Emily's first real Christmas to be special," Beca said. "Plus, it's our first Christmas together, and it's our first Christmas with Amanda, Ashley, and Denise."

"It's going to be amazing," Chloe said giving Beca another quick kiss.

"And don't think I forgot about your birthday coming up," Beca said.

"You don't have to do anything extravagant for my birthday," Chloe said. "Just something low key with the family is fine."

"How about a nice dinner party with family and friends?," Beca said.

"That sounds nice," Chloe said. "I'd like that."

"Good," Beca said. "It's already planned. And, we're all dressing up for the occasion. I'm having the caterer who did our reception do the food. Your mom is baking your cake."

"Oh, my gosh," Chloe said with a laugh. "My birthday is a month away and you've already planed all that?"

"Yep," Beca said. "You gotta strike early when your wife's birthday is three days after Christmas. Which also means, it's three days before New Year's."

"Hey, Beca," Denise says. "This is awesome. My grandma had a little artificial tree that we put up every year. That was the only thing we decorated."

"We didn't really decorate," Amanda said. "It was just another day."

Chloe and Ashley both went over to Amanda and gave her a hug.

"Those days are over," Ashley told her and kissed her on the side of her head.

"Hey, girls," Beca said getting everyone's attention. "I'm going to need your Christmas lists ASAP."

"Beca," Denise said. "What do we have left to ask for? You gave us a home, new laptops, new phones, new wardrobes, and new cars. Seriously, what's left?"

"She's right, Beca," Ashley said.

"I'm with them, mom," Amanda said.

"Chlo?," Beca looks to her wife who is just shaking her head.

"Nope," Chloe said. "Can't think of anything either."

"Come on," Beca said looking at each of them. "There's got to be something you've always wanted but never got. Now's your chance to get it."

"Face it, Beca," Denise said and she got up and put her around the Detective. "You've literally given us everything we could need or want. I'm going to go see what I can fix for dinner."

"I'll help," Amanda said and followed Denise into the kitchen.

"And, surprise, surprise," Ashley said. "I have to pee again."

Ashley heads off to the bathroom. Chloe goes over to Beca and wraps her arms around her and Emily. Beca looked sad.

"I'm sorry, babe," Chloe said kissing Beca. "I'll talk to the girls and maybe we can come up with something as a family."

"Well," Beca said. "At least I have Emily to get stuff for. I can't wait to go shopping for her."

"Don't go overboard," Chloe said. "You buy her everything she wants already."

"I can't help it," Beca said with a smile. "I love spoiling my girls."

"I'm going to go see if I can help with dinner," Chloe said taking Emily. "Why don't you go relax for a bit."

"Okay," Beca said.

Chloe went into the kitchen to find the girls discussing what to have for dinner.

"Hey, girls, can I talk to you for a sec?," Chloe asked.

"Sure, Chlo," Denise said. "What's up?"

"Beca's kind of bummed," Chloe said. "She really wants this Christmas to be super special since it's our first together. And, especially since it's Emily's first real Christmas. And I know that no matter what we say, she'll come up with something super amazing for all of us. So, I was hoping we could come up with something special for her."

"Maybe we should ask Jesse," Ashley suggested. "Or Arizona or Stacie for ideas. They've known her longer and may know if there's something she might want."

"That's a good idea," Denise said. "Ashley can ask Jesse. And, Chloe, can you ask Arizona and Stacie?"

"Definitely," Chloe said. "I'll call them tomorrow. We need some time to get this together."

"Can we have leftovers for dinner?," Amanda asks. "I'd love a turkey sandwich and some stuffing."

"That does sound good," Ashley said.

"I'm all for it," Denise said.

"Canby sauce," Emily said and clapped.

"Looks like Emily's in," Chloe said with a laugh. "Can you guys start pulling everything out? I'm going to go get Beca."

Chloe leaves the kitchen and goes looking for Beca. She's not in the living room so she goes up to their room. She's finds her sitting in her chair by the window, staring out. In her hand she has a note pad and pencil.

"Penny for your thoughts," Chloe says as she sits on Beca's lap.

"I have an idea of what to do for your folks for Christmas," Beca said. "Hear me out before you say no."

"Beca," Chloe said. "What are you scheming?"

"Not a scheme," Beca said. "A way to make things easier for them, financially."

"How are you going to do that?," Chloe asked playing with a strand of Beca's hair.

"By paying off their mortgage?," Beca says and scrunches her face, waiting for Chloe's reaction.

Chloe stops playing with Beca's hair and doesn't say anything. She looks at Beca and opens her mouth to say something, but then closes it without uttering a word.

"Your mom was talking about how your dad wants to retire but can't," Beca explained. "They have the mortgage and Charlotte's tuition took all their savings, so things have really been tight. They lost money when they sold their house in Tampa to move here. They are like my parents and I want to do whatever it takes to make their lives easier. And I have the means, so why not? Right?"

Chloe was still having a hard time processing what Beca is saying. She knows that Beca has a kind heart and she never ceases to surprise her.

"Chlo?," Beca says quietly. "Can you say something? Please."

Chloe doesn't say anything. She looks at Beca and cups her cheek. She leans down and captures Beca's lips in a loving kiss.

"You are amazing," Chloe whispers as she pulls back from the kiss. "I can't think of a better gift. Just be prepared for some pushback from my dad. He is a proud man and wants to provide for his family."

"I know," Beca said. "That's why I'm going to ask them to let me do it instead of just doing it."

"Then yes," Chloe said. "Let's do it."

Beca smiled and kissed Chloe again.

"Thank you," Beca said.

"We're having leftovers for dinner," Chloe said standing up and holding out her hand for Beca to take. "Come on."

Beca takes Chloe's hand and they go down to the kitchen. It takes two weeks to convince Mr. Beale to let Beca pay off the mortgage for him. She told him she would take care of it before the New Year and he seemed reluctantly okay with it. Beca thinks Mama B had a lot to do with his change of heart and accepting the gift.

Two weeks before Christmas, Beca was sitting in her travel agent's office scheduling a trip to Disney World for the whole family. She had thought of the perfect gift. While there she is also scheduling a trip for her and Chloe to Hawaii as a belated honeymoon/birthday present for Chloe. This really was going to be the best Christmas ever.

Beca hurried home from the travel agent's office because she had promised Emily and Amanda they would go see Santa Claus. She couldn't wait to see Emily's reaction when she sat on Santa's lap. Beca parked her Mustang in the garage and entered the house.

"Chloe?," Beca called out. "I'm home. Are you and the girls ready? Chlo?"

"Hey, babe," Chloe said as she met Beca coming out of the kitchen.

"You girls ready for Santa?," Beca asked after giving Chloe a kiss hello.

"We are," Chloe said. "Let me get Emily and Amanda."

Chloe hurried upstairs to get the girls. Beca was humming "Silent Night" while waiting for them. She got big smile on her face when she saw her daughters. Emily was dressed in a red velvet dress with white tights, and Amanda was in red dress slacks and a white shirt.

"Well, don't you two look festive," Beca said hugging Amanda and giving Emily a kiss on the cheek. "Ready to go see Santa?"

"Yes," Emily says and giggles.

"Let's go," Beca said and led the way to the garage.

They were at the mall and Beca was looking for a place to park. She finally opted to drop the girls at the entrance to the mall and go park.

"I'll meet you in the line for Santa," Beca said as Chloe got out of the car.

Beca drove to the far edges of the mall and parked. She hurried inside and finally found Santa's Workshop and got in line with Chloe, Emily, and Amanda. The line wasn't as long as Beca expected it to be. Even with the short line, Emily got bored after only five minutes of waiting. Chloe hands off Emily to Beca. Beca talks to Emily about Santa and getting her picture taken.

"Sing, mommy," Emily said.

"Mommy can't sing now," Beca said looking around at all the people standing in line. "Too many people."

"Please," Emily said. "Sing."

Emily pulled out the big guns and pouted and gave Beca the puppy dog eyes. Chloe tried to hide her smile behind her hand.

"I blame you for this," Beca said glaring at Chloe. "Fine. I'll sing."

Emily squealed and clapped her hands. Amanda and Chloe stood silently by, smiling. Beca decided to go with a Christmas classic. She took a breath and started singing "Silent Night." The line moved a bit and she kept singing. By the time she finished they have moved up more. The people around her applauded and Beca blushed bright red.

"How about we let mommy take a break," Chloe said and took Emily from Beca. "Want mama to sing to you?"

"No, mommy," Emily said.

"How about mommy and mama sing, together?" Beca said.

"Yes," Emily said and smiled.

"I know just the song," Chloe said to Beca. "Follow my lead."

"Okay," Beca said.

Chloe handed Emily to Amanda and stood next to Beca. Beca rolled her eyes as soon as Chloe started to sing.

 _I don't want a lot for Christmas  
There is just one thing I need  
I don't care about the presents  
Underneath the Christmas tree  
I just want you for my own  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true oh  
All I want for Christmas is you_

 _I don't want a lot for Christmas  
There is just one thing I need,  
and I Don't care about the presents  
Underneath the Christmas tree  
I don't need to hang my stocking  
There upon the fireplace  
Santa Claus won't make me happy  
With a toy on Christmas day_

 _I just want you for my own  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true  
All I want for Christmas is you_

Chloe and Beca both pointed at Emily and Chloe danced around Beca. Beca was smiling as she continued singing.

 _I won't ask for much this Christmas  
I won't even wish for snow, and I  
I just wanna keep on waiting  
Underneath the mistletoe_

Chloe gives Beca a quick kiss on the cheek, causing Emily to giggle.

 _I won't make a list and send it  
To the North Pole for Saint Nick  
I won't even stay awake  
To hear those magic reindeer click_

 _'Cause I just want you here tonight  
Holding on to me so tight  
What more can I do  
Oh, Baby all I want for Christmas is you_

 _All the lights are shining  
So brightly everywhere  
And the sound of children's  
Laughter fills the air_

 _And everyone is singing  
I hear those sleigh bells ringing  
Santa won't you bring me  
The one I really need  
Won't you please bring my baby to me quickly_

 _I don't want a lot for Christmas  
This is all I'm asking for  
I just wanna see my baby  
Standing right outside my door_

 _I just want you for my own  
More than you could ever know  
Make my wish come true  
Baby all I want for Christmas is you  
All I want for Christmas is you, baby_

Emily clapped and giggled when her mothers finished their song. The others in line joined in. Chloe thanked everyone and Beca blushed over everyone making such a fuss, although the smile never left her face.

They were finally at the front of the line and Beca was holding Emily. Amanda pointed to Santa to get Emily to turn around and look. Her eyes got big and her little mouth formed an O. She looked at Chloe and Chloe smiled at her.

"Santa," Emily said and giggled.

"Yes, Em," Chloe said. "That's Santa. You're going to get your picture taken with Santa and Amanda."

"Manda?," Emily asked looking at her.

"Yep," Amanda said. "You and me, kid."

It was finally their turn and Amanda carried Emily over to Santa, while Beca and Chloe stood back near the photographer. Emily was fine until Santa gave a throaty 'Ho Ho Ho'. Her eyes teared up and her bottom lip quivered.

"It's okay, Emily," Amanda said. "That's just how Santa says hello."

Emily sniffled a little and then looked at Santa. Santa looked back at her and smiled.

"Hello, Emily," Stanta said. "Who's this with you?"

"Manda," Emily said and buried her head in Amanda's shoulder.

"Emily," Amanda said getting Emily to look up at her. "Let's sit on Santa's lap and get our picture taken. Okay?"

"No," Emily said and tried to get down.

"Come on, Em," Beca said walking closer to Emily. "Just sit here for a minute and the we can go. Okay?"

"No," Emily said again tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Please, Em," Beca said looking back at the line. "Other kids want to see Santa."

"Do Olaf," Chloe told Beca walking up next to her.

"What?," Beca asked.

"Olaf, from _Frozen_ ," Chloe said. "Do some weird dance steps and be Olaf. She'll love it."

Beca sighs and get's Emily's attention.

"Will you do it for Olaf?," Beca asked.

"Kay," Emily said.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Beca mumbled.

Beca did a few silly dance steps and sang.

 _Bees will buzz  
Kids will blow dandelion fuzz  
And I'll be doing whatever snow does  
In summer_

Emily claps and giggles and let's Amanda put her on Santa's knee. Amanda sat on Santa's other knee and the picture was taken. Chloe was of course taping the whole thing. She had her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing at Beca doing Olaf for Emily. Chloe had tears in her eyes seeing how far Beca would go just to make Emily happy. She still can't believe she gets to call Beca hers. She loves that woman so much. Chloe wiped a tear that fell and smiled.

Beca grabbed Emily off of Stanta's lap and went over to check out the picture. Chloe ordered a few more copies for all the girls and her parents. They waited while they were printed and then went for ice cream before heading home.

It was finally Christmas Eve and Beca was more excited than anyone. She and the girls had been putting presents under the tree for the past week. Beca and Chloe had wrapped Emily's gifts as they got them so they could have an easy Christmas Eve. Mama B, Mr. B., and Charlotte were spending the night and Denise had cooked up a small Mexican feast for dinner.

Beca was up early and in the kitchen by the time the rest of the house had stirred. She had pulled out the baby monitors and was listening for when Emily woke up. She wanted to bring her downstairs to see Emily's face when she saw all the presents under the tree.

Mama B was in the kitchen to help Beca and they were laughing and talking as they made breakfast together. Beca heard Emily through the monitors.

"I gotta go," Beca said excitedly. "Emily's waking up."

Beca rushed out of the kitchen and up the stairs to find Chloe changing Emily.

"Merry Christmas, my loves," Beca said kissing each one.

"Merry Christmas, babe," Chloe said grabbing Beca in another kiss.

"Kissmas, mommy," Emily said.

"Ready to see what Santa brought you?," Beca asked picking Emily up.

"Yes," Emily said smiling.

"Wait until I get down there," Chloe said. "I want to get pictures of when she first sees everything."

Chloe hurries and leaves to get her phone. She runs downstairs and sees everyone else is already down there.

"Okay," Chloe calls up to Beca. "Bring her down."

Chloe turns on the video as Beca comes down holding Emily. Mama B, Denise, and Ashley all have their cameras ready. Emily sees Mama B.

"Ganma," Emily squeals.

"Hi, baby," Mama B says.

Emily looks at everyone else and then over to the tree. Her eyes get wide and she squirms to get down. Beca holds tight.

"Wait until we get all the way down," Beca said.

As soon as they got to the bottom of the steps, Beca put Emily down and she went running over to the tree. She was looking at everything and giggling and clapping her hands. Beca had the biggest smile on her face watching Emily. Chloe kept her camera on Beca before panning over to Emily. She wanted to get it all.

"Santa," Emily squealed.

"That's right," Amanda said going over to Emily. "Santa came and left all these presents for us."

"Okay, baby girl," Beca said walking over to Emily. "Breakfast first and then presents."

"Pesents," Emily said with a pout.

"Nope," Beca said picking her up. "Breakfast and then presents. I made pancakes."

"Pancakes!," Emily squealed.

Beca put Emily down and she ran off to the kitchen. Everyone else following close behind except Beca and Chloe. Chloe grabbed Beca's arm and pulled her into a heated kiss.

"Wow," Beca said. "Merry Christmas to you, too."

"I love you," Chloe said.

"I love you, too," Beca said and gave Chloe a warm, tender kiss. "And, I always will."

After breakfast, it was time for presents. Emily started tearing into her gifts and everyone laughed at how she would hug each one to her before moving on to the next. The rest of the group started opening theirs and were thanking each other.

"I have something for everyone," Beca said getting their attention. "We, as in all of us, during the girls' Spring Break, will be going to Disney World. One week of family fun at the happiest place on Earth."

Everyone else excited and started talking about what they wanted to do.

"I told you she'd come up with something special," Chloe told the girls.

"Amanda," Beca said. "I have a special gift just for you. Follow me please."

Amanda got up and followed Beca. Chloe picked up Emily and motioned for the others to follow as well.

Beca went into the kitchen and stopped at the door leading out the back porch.

"Chloe and I know how much your art means to you," Beca said. "So, we did this. . ."

Beca opens the door and motions Amanda to go through. Amanda's eyes widen. There in front of her was an art studio. There were blank canvasses, paints, brushes, easels, smocks, everything you could imagine an artist would need. Tears fell down Amanda's face as she looked at and touched everything.

Chloe wiped tears from her own eyes as she watched her older daughter. When Beca first mentioned turning the back porch into a studio for Amanda, Chloe knew she would love it.

"Manda paint?," Emily asked from Chloe's arms.

"Yes, baby," Chloe said. "Amanda paint."

Amanda turned and ran to Beca grabbing her in a hug. Beca put her arms around the girl and hugged her back.

"So," Beca said. "I'm guessing we did okay?"

"Thank you," Amanda mumbled into Beca's shoulder.

"You're welcome," Beca said. "And I'd like to commission your first project. But, we can talk about that later."

Amanda nodded and then went over to Chloe to thank her as well.

"You are so welcome, sweetheart," Chloe said.

"Okay," Beca said wiping her face. "Let's go do something that won't make me cry."

Everyone laughed and went back to the living room. Once everyone was settled down again, Chloe grabbed a gift from under the tree and walked over to Beca.

"Babe," Chloe said standing in front of Beca. "This is for you, from all of us."

Beca took the gift and ripped the paper off. It was a large photo album. She opened it up and tears immediately sprung to her eyes. The first picture was of her grandparents on their wedding day. Tears fell heavily as she turned the pages.

"How did you-," Beca said through her tears. "These pictures were damaged. How did you do this?"

"Well," Chloe said wiping her own tears. "We asked Jesse, Arizona, and Stacie, and they all mentioned how upset you were when some of the pictures of your grandparents got damaged when the roof leaked. We took them to a photo lab and had them repair what they could. There were a lot they couldn't fix. These are the ones they could. Near the back we also added more recent pictures of all of us."

"After you guys," Beca said through her tears. "This is the best thing I have ever received. Thank you all."

Beca set the album on the table and got up to hug everyone. She grabbed Chloe last and gave her kiss as well as a hug.

"Thank you," Beca said. "I wanted this to be a memorable Christmas and it truly is."

"I love you," Chloe said. "We all love you."

"I love you, too," Beca said.

She held onto Chloe and smiled as she looked around her. At her family all gathered together. Yep, this is what Christmas is all about.

* * *

 **This is the 25th installment of the 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases. Thanks for sticking with me and keep an eye out for a bonus New Year's Eve oneshot.**

 **Songs used:** _ **All I Want For Christmas Is You**_ **by Mariah Carey;** _ **In Summer**_ **from the movie** _ **Frozen**_ **. I don't own anything regarding either song, the movie, or Mariah Carey.**

 **I hope that everyone who celebrates had a wonderful and joyous Christmas. To everyone else, I hope you had wonderful and joyous day. Until next time.**


	26. New Year's Bonus Chapter

**Here's the New Year's bonus chapter as promised. It's set in High School. Hope you enjoy it! Oh yeah, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Welcome to 2018.**

* * *

It was the day before the Christmas break at Barden High School and Beca Mitchell had finally worked up the courage to ask Chloe Beale out. They were both seniors and had been talking a lot during class and at lunch and Chloe seemed interested so Beca was ready to see if they could be something more.

"Hey, Chloe," Beca said as she walked up to the redhead with a smile.

"Hey, Beca," Chloe said grabbing her books out of her locker.

"Um, so I was wondering," Beca said. "I mean, I thought that maybe, um, would you like to go out with me? On a, on a date?"

Chloe's eyes got wide and her mouth opened but no sound came out. She just stood there, staring at Beca.

"Chloe?," Beca said. "Are you okay?"

"I, um," Chloe mumbled.

Chloe kept opening her mouth to say something but no actual words would come out.

"I'm sorry," Beca said feeling embarrassed. "I thought that you-. That we could-. You know what? Never mind. I guess I read things wrong. Sorry to have bothered you."

Beca turned and left Chloe standing at her locker, with a look of disbelief on her face.

"Chloe?," Aubrey asked as she walked up to her best friend. "Chloe? What is wrong with you?"

"Beca just asked me out," Chloe whispered.

"That's great," Aubrey said getting excited. "When are you going? Where are you going?"

"Oh, God," Chloe said and banged her head against her locker. "I'm such an idiot."

"Why?," Aubrey asked. "You've been wanting her to ask you out since school started."

"I know," Chloe sighed. "And when she did, I just stood there like an idiot. Not saying anything. Then she said never mind and walked away. What am I going to do?"

"Why the hell didn't you just say yes?," Aubrey asked.

"I don't know," Chloe said. "I was taken by surprise. I never thought she'd actually ask me. She probably thinks I'm such a dork."

Before Aubrey can say anything the bell rings and the girls have to hurry off to class. Chloe doesn't hear anything her teacher says during the hour she sat there. All she could think about was that Beca Mitchell asked her out and she may have blown her only chance..

The bell rang and Chloe gathered her stuff and made her way out the door. She was halfway to her next class when she realized that Beca was in that class with her. She stopped and leaned against the wall, running a hand through her hair. Maybe I should just explain and ask her out, Chloe thought.

"Hey, Chloe," Tom said. "Can I walk you to class?"

"What?", Chloe said distracted. "Um, yeah, whatever."

Tom smiled and put his arm around Chloe's shoulders. Chloe reached up and grabbed his hand to remove it. Just then Beca saw Tom and Chloe walking together, Chloe holding Tom's hand. No wonder Chloe didn't answer her. She was probably trying to let Beca down easy because she was already with Tom. Beca just shook her head and hurried past the couple and entered the classroom.

Tom stopped outside Chloe's class. He leaned down to kiss Chloe and she pushed him away.

"Tom," Chloe said. "What the hell?"

"Come on, Chloe," Tom said. "I deserve a kiss for going out of my way to walk you to class."

"No, just no," Chloe said moving into the doorway.

"You're going out with me," Tom said grabbing Chloe by the wrist to stop her. "I'll pick you up on Friday night at 6:00."

Before Chloe could answer, Tom let go of her and ran off down the hall to his class. Chloe turned to see Beca looking at her with hurt in her eyes. Beca looked away quickly and Chloe's heart dropped. Chloe sat down and kept stealing glances at Beca. Beca kept her eyes on the teacher, afraid that if she looked at Chloe, the tears she had been fighting would start falling.

Class was over and Beca was the first out the door. Chloe called out to her but Beca ignored her. Chloe met up with Aubrey and told her what had happened with Tom.

"So, now your'e going out with him?," Aubrey asked.

"No," Chloe exclaimed. "I didn't get a chance to turn him down because he ran off."

"And, Beca heard him say you're going out?," Aubrey asked.

"Yeah," Chloe said.

"Why don't you just ask her out?," Aubrey said.

"I would if I could get her to talk to me," Chloe said. "She ran out of class so fast and when I called her name she just ignored me."

"Do it at lunch," Aubrey said.

"That's a good idea," Chloe said with a smile.

It was time for lunch and Beca grabbed her lunch from her locker and headed out to sit in the bleachers to avoid the cafeteria. She didn't want to see Tom and Chloe together. She's so bad at reading people, but she thought for sure that Chloe liked her. She guessed Chloe saw her as a friend and nothing more.

In the cafeteria, Chloe was looking around for Beca. Instead, Tom came over and threw his arm around her shoulders. Chloe pushed his arm off of her and turned to face him.

"Tom, just stop," Chloe said. "I'm interested in someone else and I don't want to go out with you."

Chloe turned and stomped off to sit down next to Aubrey. Their friends Stacie and Amy were also at the table.

"Did you ask Beca out yet?," Aubrey asked.

"You're going to ask Beca out?," Amy said. "Way to go, Ginger!"

"Don't get too excited," Stacie said. "Beca asked Chloe out earlier and it didn't go well."

"She turned Beca down?," Amy asked.

"No," Aubrey said. "She got flustered and couldn't say anything so Beca didn't think she was interested. And, now Chloe's going to ask Beca out."

"I was going to, but she's not here," Chloe said with a tear in her eye. "At least I set Tom straight and told him I wasn't going out with him."

"How'd he take it?," Aubrey asked.

Just then Tom slammed both hands on the table in front of Chloe causing her and the rest of the girls to jump.

"What the hell, Chloe?," Tom said. "You tell a guy you'll go out with him and then tell him you're interested in someone else. You embarrassed me in front of my friends."

"I never said yes, Tom," Chloe told him. "I'm sorry if you were embarrassed, but you didn't give me a choice."

"Who's the guy you're interested in?," Tom asked her. "I know I'm better than him. Give me a chance to show you."

"No, Tom," Chloe said. "Just stop asking. It's never going to happen."

"I think that's your cue to leave," Aubrey said to Tom.

"Bye, Tom," Stacie said waving at him.

"Yea, bye, Tom," Amy said also waving at him to go.

"You'll come around," Tom said to Chloe with a smug smile. "They always do."

Tom looks at each of the girls with a smirk. He then turns and struts away. The girls all watch and then burst into laughter.

"What a douche," Amy said.

"Hey, Beca," Jesse says walking toward the brunette. "What are you doing out here? I thought you'd be sitting with Chloe making googly eyes at each other."

"She's dating Tom Henderson," Beca deadpanned.

"What?," Jesse said. "Since when?"

"I don't know," Beca said and proceeded to tell him how her morning had gone.

"Damn," Jesse said. "That's too bad. He's such a douche and she deserves so much better."

"Whatever," Beca said.

"Hey, since you're here,"Jesse said. "I want to know if you're available to DJ for my New Year's Eve party? I can pay you. Maybe not what you're worth, but something. What do you say?"

"Sure," Beca said. "Why not? Not like I'll have a date for New Year's anyway."

"Great," Jesse said. "The party starts at 10:00 pm. You should get there about 9:00 to set up. I can pay you $300 to play until 1:00 am. My folks want everyone gone before 2:00 so if you stop playing, they'll stumble home. Sound good?"

"I can work with that," Beca said. "I gotta go. I want to get to my locker before Chloe so I don't have to see her."

Jesse watches Beca leave and gets up and hurries into the cafeteria. He looks for and finds Chloe sitting with her friends from the Bellas. He walks over to the table and stands in front of Chloe.

"What is wrong with you?," Jesse said. "Why the hell would you be with a douche like Tom Henderson when you could be with Beca? You do know he cheats on every girl he goes out with, right?"

"Jesse, I," Chloe starts.

"Save it," Jesse said not wanting to hear what Chloe had to say. "Beca is one of my best friends and it took a lot for her to get up the courage to ask you out. She really thought there was something happening between you two. Or were you just leading her on for laughs?."

Chloe's jaw dropped in surprise. Jesse shakes his head and doesn't wait for a response before angrily stalking off. As Jesse storms off, Chloe puts her elbows on the table and her head in her hands.

"Could this day get any worse?," Chloe mumbles.

"Hey, Chlo," Luke says walking over to the table.

"Oh, great," Chloe says not looking up. "It can."

"I heard that you weren't interested in dating Tom," Luke says with a smile. "That you were interested in someone else. It's me isn't it?"

Chloe just looks at him in stunned silence. Luke pulls up his shirt to show his abs.

"I mean," Luke says, "with abs like these, what girl wouldn't be?"

"Go away, Luke" Chloe said. "Please, just go away."

"So, what does that mean?," Luke asks putting his shirt back down. "It's not me?"

"No," Chloe jumps up yelling. "It's not you. It's not Tom. I'm not interested in either one of you. I like Beca Mitchell!"

The cafeteria goes silent. You literally could hear a pin drop. Chloe plops back down in her seat.

"Shit," is all Chloe can say.

Beca is in her last class of the day and has managed to avoid Chloe all afternoon. She's sitting, waiting for class to start when Tom and Luke walk in. She looks up to see both of them glaring at her.

"Oh, shit," Beca thinks. "Chloe must have told Tom about me asking her out. And he doesn't look too happy about it. I am so dead."

Beca keeps an eye on Tom and Luke, who both continue to throw glares at her. About ten minutes before the bell is supposed to ring there is a knock on the door. Mrs. Green answers it and turns to the class.

"Beca Mitchell," Mrs. Green says. "Gather your stuff and go to the Principal's office.

Beca frowns but gets her stuff together and heads toward the door. She is stopped by Mrs. Green.

"Here," Mrs. Green says. "This is your homework packet for the break."

"Thanks," Beca says and walks out the door.

She turns toward the Principal's office and hears Jesse calling her name. She turns to see him waving her over to him.

"What's up, Jesse?," Beca said. "I have to go to the Principal's office."

"No you don't," Jesse said with a smile. "One of the perks of having my mom working in the front office. I told her what happened and she wrote the note for you. I thought you can get to your locker and get out of here before Chloe can find you. Hurry up and I'll talk to you later."

"Thanks, man," Beca said and hurries to her locker.

Jesse heads back to the office and Beca grabs everything she'll need to take with her for the break. She rushes out of the school and is driving away just as the final bell rings.

Chloe hurries out of her last class and rushes to her locker, searching for Beca the whole time. She gets to her locker and waits for Beca to show up to hers. Aubrey and Stacie come by and help her watch for Beca. They are there for fifteen minutes and everybody has cleared out. Chloe slumps her shoulders and gets her stuff.

"I guess I'll be going home," Chloe said.

"Call me later, okay?," Aubrey said. "Come on, Stace. I need to see Mr. Maxwell before I go."

Stacie gives Chloe a quick hug and Chloe leaves. Stacie and Aubrey start walking toward Mr. Maxwell's office when they see Jesse Swanson.

"Hey, Jesse," Aubrey calls out causing him to stop.

"What do you want, Aubrey?," Jesse asks.

"You're Beca Mitchell's best friend, right?" Aubrey asks and Jesse nods yes. "Why didn't she come to her locker after last bell? Where is she hiding?"

"She left so she wouldn't have to see Chloe," Jesse tells her honestly.

"But, Chloe wanted to talk to her," Aubrey said. "This morning was a big misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?," Jesse said. "What do you mean?"

Aubrey and Stacie filled Jesse in on what had transpired from Chloe's point of view.

"She actually admitted to the whole cafeteria that she liked Beca?," Jesse asked.

"Yep," Stacie said.

"And Chloe's not with Tom?," Jesse said.

"Nope," Aubrey said.

"Huh," Jesse said. "So, Chloe wanted to say yes when Beca was asking her out but-"

"Couldn't form a coherent answer," Aubrey said.

"And Beca took that to mean Chloe wasn't interested?," Jesse asked.

"That about sums it up," Aubrey said.

"So, what are we going to do about it?," Stacie asked.

"I have an idea," Jesse said with a smile. "How would you girls like to come to my New Year's Eve party? Beca's DJing."

It was the day after Christmas and Aubrey, Stacie, and Chloe were at the mall exchanging some of their gifts that didn't fit. The were also taking advantage of the huge after-Christmas sales.

"We have to get some killer outfits for Jesse Swanson's New Year's Eve party," Stacie said.

"I don't think I'm going to go," Chloe said. "I've texted and called Beca and she hasn't responded to anything. I really don't want to see her there with someone else."

"You have to go," Aubrey said. "You don't want to be the sad girl sitting at home on New Year's Eve."

"Yeah, Chlo," Stacie said. "It won't be the same without you."

"Alright," Chloe said with a sigh. "I'll go. But, I'm not staying for the whole thing. I plan to be gone before midnight so I don't have to watch Beca kissing someone who isn't me."

The three girls spend several hours looking for the right dress. Chloe finds one she really likes. It's got short sleeves, a v-neck that shows just the right amount of cleavage, and ends mid thigh. She chooses it in dark blue because it reminded her of Beca's eyes.

"Girl, you got it bad," Stacie said. "You should just go up to her at the party and kiss her."

"If that dress doesn't get her attention," Aubrey said. "I'd go with the kiss. That will definitely get her attention."

Chloe doesn't say anything. She chews her bottom lip and looks at herself in the mirror. She smiles and thinks, yeah, this is the dress.

It's New Year's Eve and the girls all plan to spend the night at Stacie's since she lives only three houses from Jesse. They can walk to the party and stumble back after. Aubrey picks Chloe up and drives them to Stacie's.

"Isn't that Beca's car?," Chloe asks as they pass Jesse's house.

"I think so," Aubrey said.

"You don't think there's something going on between them, do you?," Chloe asked as they parked in front of Stacie's house.

"No way," Aubrey said. "They're just friends. You know Beca's gay."

"She could be bi," Chloe says.

"I don't think so," Aubrey says getting out of the car.

Stacie lets Aubrey and Chloe in and they go up to her room to put their stuff away and get ready. Meanwhile, Beca was setting up her DJ equipment where Jesse had told her. There were speakers throughout the house so the music would be heard all over. When she was done she used Jesse's room to change into her DJ party outfit. She came back down and Jesse's eyes bugged out. Beca was wearing her favorite black skinny jeans with a loose fitting red spaghetti strap chiffon cami top.

"Damn, Beca," Jesse said. "You look hot. If you weren't gay-"

"It still wouldn't happen between us," Beca finished for him.

"You wound me," Jesse says putting his hand to his chest.

Just then the doorbell rang and the party started. Beca got behind the table and started her first mix. She had her headphones on and was really getting into it. She was surprised at how many people were on the dance floor already.

Stacie, Aubrey, and Chloe came in around 10:30 and looked around. Tom made a beeline over to Chloe and pulled her to him.

"Hey, Chloe," Tom said. "I guess now I have someone to kiss at midnight."

Beca looks over just as Tom pulls Chloe to him. She looks away and sets up a 30 minute track and goes looking for Jesse. She finds him in the kitchen and grabs him by the ear dragging him out the back.

"Ow, ow, ow," Jesse says until Beca let's go. "What the hell, Beca?"

"You didn't tell me Chloe was going to be here with Tom," Beca says angrily.

"She's not with Tom," Jesse said still rubbing his ear. "It was all a misunderstanding. She turned him down."

"Then why was he all over her as soon as she came in the door?," Beca asked.

"What?," Jesse said. "No, that can't be."

"I saw them, Jesse," Beca said. "I don't think I can stay."

"You have to, Becs," Jesse pleaded. "Everyone loves the music. Please? There's so many people, you probably won't even see Chloe until later. Or maybe not at all."

"Fine, I'll stay," Beca spits out. "But, you're lucky I'm DJing or I'd be gone already."

"Thank you," Jesse said and let out a breath.

Meanwhile, back inside.

"Get away, Tom," Chloe said pushing him. "I told you, I'm not interested. And, I sure as hell am not kissing you at midnight. I'd rather kiss an ashtray."

Tom glares at her and Aubrey pulls Chloe away from him. Stacie follows and they head to the kitchen.

"Let's get a drink," Aubrey says.

Beca had just come back into the house and skirted around the crowd to get back to the DJ table. She put her headphones back on and queued up some more songs. She was bopping her head and smiling as she watched everyone dancing and drinking. Jesse had come back in with her but stayed in the kitchen.

"Hey, Jesse," Stacie called out when she saw him.

"Hey, Stacie," Jesse said. "I'm glad you could make it. Hey, Aubrey, Chloe."

"Hey," Chloe said and gave him a small wave. "This music is really great."

"Yeah," Jesse said. "The benefits of having a live DJ. Can I get you ladies a drink?"

"Three beers please," Aubrey said.

"Coming right up," Jesse said reaching into a cooler and pulling out three beers.

Jesse unscrews the tops and hands the girls their beers. He tells them there is food laid out around the house and to help themselves. The girls thank him and start walking around saying hi to friends.

"I love this song," Stacie says grabbing Aubrey's hand. "Let's dance, babe."

"Go ahead, Brey," Chloe says. "I'm fine."

Aubrey and Stacie make their way to the dance floor. Chloe stands on the sidelines watching. She looks around and sees the DJ table. She looks to see the DJ and her eyes widen.

"Holy shit," she mutters when she catches a glimpse of Beca.

She bites her bottom lip and watches as Beca's cami dips low and her breasts bounce to the beat of the music. Chloe gets a wam feeling all through her body. She licks her lips and can't stop staring.

"She's pretty hot, right?," Jesse said startling Chloe.

"Um, what?," Chloe says.

"Beca's looking pretty hot," Jesse said.

"I didn't know she could DJ," Chloe said trying to hide her pink cheeks.

"She's been making mixes for years," Jesse said. "But, this summer she started doing some DJ gigs for money for college. She's really good."

"Yes, she is," Chloe said her eyes never leaving Beca.

"You know she's single, right?," Jesse asked with a smirk. "And she didn't bring a date tonight."

Before Chloe could answer, Jesse smiled and walked away. Chloe stayed rooted to the spot and was able to observe Beca without being noticed by her. Stacie and Aubrey danced for a while before finding Chloe to see if she wanted another drink. The three girls went back to the kitchen and got another beer. They stayed there for a while and chatted with some of their classmates. They were heading back to the dance floor when Chloe was grabbed from behind.

"Hey, Red," Luke said putting his arms around Chloe. "Come dance with me. I can't think of anything better than to have you grinding against me. Let's go."

Chloe pulled away and pushed through the crowd. She found Stacie and Aubrey and started dancing with them.

"You okay, Chlo?," Aubrey asked over the music.

"Luke just grabbed me and tried to force me to dance with him," Chloe said. "I wish he and Tom would just leave me alone."

"Don't worry," Stacie said. "I have a plan to make sure they do."

"What's your plan?," Chloe asked.

"Kiss Beca at midnight and they'll leave you alone," Stacie said.

Chloe stopped dancing and looked at Stacie.

"You want me to do what?," Chloe asked with her mouth hanging open.

"I'm with Stacie on this," Aubrey said. "She's DJing so she doesn't have a date. You're single, she's single. What's the problem?"

Chloe stood there not knowing what to say. Should she just go for it? What if Beca rejects her? Even if she does, Chloe would have at least one kiss with Beca. Chloe smiled and looked at her two friends.

"You really think I should just go for it?," Chloe asked them.

"We do," they both said.

"You've got about 20 minutes to decide," Stacie said looking at her watch.

Stacie and Aubrey started dancing again. Chloe joined them looking over at Beca. They had been dancing about 15 minutes when they heard Beca's voice come through the speakers.

"Okay everyone," Beca said through the mic. "We have about five minutes until midnight. So, grab a drink and grab your kissing partner."

"Come on," Stacie said. "Let's get another drink."

Stacie leads Aubrey and Chloe to the kitchen ahead of most of the crowd. She managed to grab them all a beer and get out of the kitchen. Chloe took her beer and started pushing her way through the mob to get to the DJ table. She looked over and Beca was gone. She looked around and didn't see her.

"Where'd she go?," Chloe muttered to herself.

Stacie and Aubrey came over to her. The also looked around and didn't see Beca.

"There she is," Stacie said pointing at Beca.

Beca was standing next to Jesse talking. She looked at her watch and then made her way back to the DJ table.

"Get behind us," Stacie said to Chloe. "We'll keep you hidden so you can surprise her."

"Okay," Chloe said hiding behind the two girls.

Beca was back at the DJ table just as the song was ending.

"This is your one minute warning," Beca yelled into the mic.

Everyone cheered and hit the dance floor, waiting for the countdown.

"Here we go," Beca yelled and laid the microphone on the table. The sounds of _Auld Lang Syne_ could be heard starting up in the background. "In 10. . 9. . .8"

Chloe moved from behind Stacie and set her beer on a nearby table. She stood about a foot from Beca. Stacie started kissing Aubrey before the countdown ended.

"5. . .4. . .3. . .2. . .1" Beca pushed up the volume and _Auld Lang Syne_ echoed throughout the house.

"Happy New Year!," everyone screamed.

Chloe grabbed Beca by the arm and spun her around. Beca squealed in surprise.

"Chlo-", Chloe crashed her lips against Beca's while pulling her closer by the arms. It took Beca about two seconds to put her arms on Chloe's waist and kiss her back. Chloe's hands moved up Beca's arms and behind her neck, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss. Beca pulled Chloe closer as well and they were now flush up against each other. They continued to kiss until breathing became tough and they both pulled back. They looked at each other and smiled.

"Yes," Chloe said trying to slow her breathing.

"Yes?," Beca asked confused.

"Yes, I'd love to go out with you," Chloe said. "You didn't stick around long enough to get my answer. And, the answer is yes."

"What about you and Tom?," Beca asked.

"There is no me and Tom," Chloe said. "Or me and Luke. Or me and anyone else except you. You're the only one I want."

"Good," Beca said. "Because you're the only one I want."

"Get it, Chloe," Stacie yelled and whistled causing both girls to look over.

Chloe took her hand and turned Beca's head back to face her. She smiled and leaned in to give Beca another kiss. It was sweet and tender.

"Happy New Year, Becs," Chloe whispered.

"Happy New Year, Chlo," Beca whispered and grabbed Chloe in another kiss.


End file.
